Treatment of Rubber Latex Processing Wastewater using Activated Carbon Derived from Palm Kernel Shell

Authors: Rotimi IM, Adewumi JR, Ajibade FO

DOI Info: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5805379

ABSTRACT

The rate at which untreated wastewater from rubber latex industry are discharged into the water bodies and its attendant consequences on humans and the environment is worrisome. Hence, this research sought to evaluate the efficacy of palm kernel shell (PKS) activated carbon as a low-cost adsorbent in the treatment of rubber latex wastewater. The PKS was carbonized at 500 ^oC for 2 hours and activated with HCl at 105 ^oC for 4 hours in a furnace. The char formed was crushed and sieved to produce the granular PKS activated carbon (GPKSAC). The char was also ground to produce powdered PKS activated carbon (PPKSAC). The fixed bed adsorption technique was used to treat the rubber latex processing wastewater at predetermined flow rates. The PKS activated carbon exhibited high performance for the adsorption of organic matter when expressed in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD). Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed excellent morphology and functional groups present in the PKS activated carbon respectively. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were used to unravel the adsorptive behavior of contaminants unto the GPKSAC and PPKSAC. The PKS proved effective in the removal of considerable amount of organic and inorganic contaminants in rubber latex processing wastewater.

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