Publication: Leachate treatment using oil palm frond activated carbon embedded with ferric oxide nanoparticles
Date
2021-08-01
Authors
Adam, Nor Hana
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Abstract
This study aims to analyze the potential of oil palm frond activated carbon embedded with iron oxide nanoparticles (OPFAC-Fe) in removing humic acids (HAs) from stabilized leachate by the parameter of COD, colour and UV254. The raw oil palm frond (OPF) is activated with phosphoric acid (ratio of 1:3, 400 °C), followed by oxidationand embedding of ferric ions (Fe3+). The high surface area of 719.29 m2/g and numerous active sites were obtained on the OPFAC-Fe surface. The batch study indicates that the adsorption capacities (qmax,exp) of COD, colour and UV254 increased to 321.00 mg/g, 592.78 mg/g and 0.76 mg/g in the application of OPFAC-Fe. Isotherm model found the HAsdistributed in monolayer with a maximum adsorption capacity of 666.67 mg/g and favourable RL of 0.33 (0<RL<1) for COD removal. The Temkin model described chemisorption as a dominant mechanism in removing colour, while the Freundlich model fitted well in UV254 adsorption with multilayers and heterogeneity surface. The kinetic model shows good compliance for all parameters, observing that the surface property of OPFAC-Fe and HAs play significant roles in the adsorption mechanisms. The intraparticle diffusions (ID) model also describes the diffusion of HAs onto the OPFAC-Fe surface. Column adsorption observed that the Thomas model matched well and excellency removed 66.19%, 57.37% and 48.19% of COD, colour and UV254 from leachate. The main mechanisms involved are chemisorption (ionic bonding) and physisorption (cation-Л interactions and metal-chelation). The result showed that the OPFAC-Fe is appropriate and potential in removing HAs from stabilized leachate.