Preparation of eco-friendly activated biochar using peach Kernal as an adsorbent for phenols from waste water
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Abstract
This study investigates the synthesis and application of eco-friendly activated biochar derived from peach kernels (PK) for the removal of phenol from wastewater. The PK material was chemically activated using phosphoric acid and characterized using FTIR, SEM, BET, and XRD techniques. The activation process significantly enhanced the adsorbent’s surface area (from 0.54 to 928.47 m²/g) and porosity, as confirmed by BET analysis. Batch adsorption experiments revealed that phenol removal efficiency improved dramatically after activation, reaching over 99% under optimal conditions (pH 3–5, 200 rpm, 0.8 g dose, and 90–150 min contact time). Adsorption isotherm studies indicated that the Langmuir model best fit the experimental data (R² = 0.9973), suggesting monolayer adsorption. Kinetic analysis showed that the adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order model (R² = 0.999), indicating that chemisorption was the dominant mechanism. The findings highlight the potential of peach-kernel-derived activated biochar as an efficient and sustainable adsorbent for phenol removal in water treatment applications.
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