Activated Carbon derived from Jackfruit Seeds for Oil Adsorption

Activated carbons (AC) are widely used as adsorbents for treating oily wastewater. An effective, cheap and environmental-friendly method for oil adsorption by using AC derived from jackfruit seeds (JS) was developed in this study. The JS were chemically activated with different concentrations (10 wt.% and 15 wt.%) of chemical activating agents (H3PO4 and ZnCl2) to produce activated carbon. The optimum conditions for developing AC from JS with the highest oil adsorption capacity was found using 15 wt.% ZnCl2, and carbonised at 500°C resulting in maximum adsorption capacity of 0.8621 g/g. Raw JS and jackfruit seed-derived activated carbon (JSAC) were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis. The influence of process parameters such as contact times (0 – 240 minutes), adsorbent dosages (0.5 – 2.5 g) and adsorption temperatures (25 – 65 °C) for oil adsorption were investigated. The results showed that the optimum parameters for maximum adsorption capacity were as follows; 120 minutes of contact time, adsorbent dosage of 1.5 g and at 35 °C. At this condition, the highest oil adsorption capacity was achieved at 1.5674 g/g. The adsorption kinetic studies depicted that the oil adsorption mechanism was represented by pseudo-second-order kinetic model which implies that the adsorption is a chemisorption process. Jackfruit seeds had been proven to have the capability as an effective adsorbent for oil adsorption.