Production and characterization of activated charcoal from Borassus aethiopium seed and its application on dye effluent

Abstract

Activated carbon was produced from Borassus aethiopum seeds through chemical activation using H₃PO₄ and alternative agents at 400-600°C for 20-60 minutes. Characterization showed carbonized samples (0.439 g/cm³ density, 73% carbon content) developed effective porosity (0.470 cm³/g pore volume) compared to raw seeds (0.531 g/cm³, 85.4% carbon). The material demonstrated excellent dye removal (84.4-99% efficiency) at 4-26 g dosage. Effluent analysis revealed significant improvements posttreatment: turbidity decreased from 33.26 to 1.02 NTU, conductivity from 1340 to 78.50 µS/cm, and pH normalized from 12.50 to 6.00. COD and BOD were reduced from 139.60 to 38.30 mg/L and 78.30 to 11.64 mg/L, respectively, meeting WHO standards. FTIR analysis identified key functional groups (O-H at 3441 cm⁻¹, C=O at 1799.72 cm⁻¹) contributing to adsorption, which followed pseudo-second-order kinetics (R² > 0.99), indicating chemisorption dominance. SEM confirmed the development of porosity in activated samples versus non-porous raw seeds. Borassus
aethiopum is an effective precursor for wastewater treatment with comprehensive characterization supporting its adsorption
mechanism.