Joseph T. Nwabanne and Philomena K. Igbokwe
The removal of copper (11) from aqueous solution using palmyra palm nut (PPN) as potential raw material for the preparation of activated carbon was investigated. Chemical activation using phosphoric acid (H3PO4) was employed for the preparation of activated carbon. The effect of various factors namely pH, adsorbent dosage, and adsorbent particle size was studied to identify the adsorption capacity of palmyra palm nut. The percentage of Cu2+ adsorbed was found to be dependent on adsorbent dosage, pH and particle size. Adsorption data were modeled using Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich equations. The equilibrium data was best described by Freundlich model. The kinetic data were also applied to the pseudo firstorder, pseudo second-order and Bhattacharya-Venkobachor models. The kinetic data followed all the three kinetic models but pseudo second-order model best described kinetics of the adsorption process. It is seen from the work that palmyra palm nut, a low-cost adsorbent, can be used for the removal of Cu2+ from aqueous solution.
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