Removal of imidacloprid using activated carbon produced from ricinodendron heudelotii shells

• Published in: Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia Vol. 31; no. 3; pp. 397 - 409
• Main Authors: Y. Urbain, K., K. Fodjo, E., Ardjouma, D., Y. Serge, B., S. Aimé, E., B. Irié Marc, G., Albert, T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chemical Society of Ethiopia 01-01-2017
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Adsorption; Chemical activation; Chemical properties; Imidacloprid; Pesticide removal; Shells; Waste treatment
• DOI: 10.4314/bcse.v31i3.4
• EISSN: 1726-801X
• ISSN: 1011-3924

In this study, Ricinodendron heudelotii (akpi) shells are used as precursor to prepare activated carbon via chemical activation using phosphoric acid. The characterization of the obtained activated carbon is performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Boehm titration method and adsorption of acetic acid. The results show that the prepared activated carbon has a microstructure and a higher specific surface area (1179 [m.sup.2]/g), suggesting that the acid treatment has a significant positive influence on its sorption properties. The maximum adsorption capacity and pollutant elimination efficiency are found to be 43.48 mg/g and 90%, respectively. These results suggest that this low cost agent is an efficient tool to remove organic pollutants especially imidacloprid from wastewater.KEY WORDS: Chemical activation, Adsorption, Activated carbon, Pesticide removal, Waste treatment