Adsorption of cadmium ion from water using activated carbon produced from palm kernel shell

Abstract

Carbon produced from agricultural wastes could be a great adsorptive material in removal of metals from water. This study was conducted to remove Cadmium ion from water using activated carbon produced from palm kernel shell (PKS). Cd ion were adsorbed using various masses of PKS for a varied temperature, time and pH. The concentration of Cd adsorbed were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The results showed that the adsorption of Cd can be optimize within 2hrs when allowed to equilibrate with gentle agitation (80 rpm) at pH 2. The results obtained were further subjected to Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherms. It was found that the value for qm were 2000, 2.203 and 0.906 respectively indicating that the most suitable isotherm for Cd adsorption is Langmuir. This study indicates another way of utilizing PKS which is a common waste in rural area.