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Comparative Study on Activated Carbon Prepared from Various Fruit Peels

Abstract

This study is a comparative study on the properties of activated carbon (AC) prepared from Pomegranate, kiwi , banana and mandarin peels which they present in the local Saudi markets. The characteristics of the prepared activated carbon were studied via determination of the percentage of ash and moisture contents, surface area, microstructure using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and function groups present via FTIR. Stepwise remediation method was used for studying the removal efficiency of the prepared activated carbons for Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions under different conditions of contact time, initial heavy metal concentration (25–1000 mg/L) and solution pH (2–10). The results showed that the activated carbon samples showed higher removal efficiency compared to the dried fruits peels from which they are produced. The activated carbon derived from banana and kiwi peels showed higher efficiency for Cu(II) removal while these derived from mandarin and pomegranate peels showed acceptable results.

Fayza S.Hashem, Khairia M. Al-qahtani, Foziah F. Al-Fawzan, Mashael Alshabanat

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