COPPER ADSORPTION ONTO POMEGRANATE PEEL ACTIVATED CARBON AS A NEW ADSORBENT

Pomegranate peel-based activated carbon was prepared using phosphoric acid impregnation for removing copper ions from aqueous solutions. The activated carbon sample was characterized using N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, SEM, FTIR, and Boehm titration. Batch adsorption experiments were performed as a function of initial pH, contact time, initial ion concentration and temperature. The metal adsorption was found pH dependent, with maximum adsorption occurring at an initial pH of 5.4. Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms were used to analyze the equilibrium data at different temperatures. The Freundlich isotherm was considered to be the best model for representing Cu(II) adsorption data. The kinetic studies were analyzed using pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion models, with good fitting to the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption behavior of the binary solution system Cu(II)-Cd(II) showed that the adsorbent has higher selectivity towards copper ions than cadmium ions.