Elemental Composition and Surface Properties of Agro-Wastes of Doum Palm, African Elemi, and Desert Date Seed Shells Obtained from Jos Town, Plateau State, Nigeria

Improvement in agriculture has significantly enhanced living standards of the people, however, agriculture has also caused negative impacts on environmental health as a consequence of agro-waste generation. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to investigate the elemental composition and surface properties of agro-wastes of Doum palm (DPS), African elemi (AES), and Desert Date (DDS) seed shells sourced from open markets in Jos Town, Plateau State, Nigeria using various appropriate standard methods. The BET surface area, BJH adsorption cumulative pore volume, and pore sizes were 418 m2 /g, 0.21 cm3 /g, and 2.10nm for DDS; 471 m2 /g, 0.26 cm3 /g, and 2.13nm for AES and 285 m2 /g, 0.17 cm3 /g, and 2.14nm for DPS respectively. The data obtained confirms the micro-porous nature of these agricultural seed shell wastes. X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) study shows variances in elemental composition, notably in SiO2, CaO, Al2O3, K2O, and Cl content. The surface morphology characterization reveals the presence of hydroxyl (-OH) and carbonyl (C=O) functional groups, indicating possible adsorption sites. DPS, AES, and DDS have particular BJH pore sizes and BET surface areas, exhibiting Type I microporous properties. The elemental composition and surface characteristics show promising properties for their use as adsorbents for CO2 capture, organic and inorganic contaminants removal and COD reduction in wastewater. However, the variances observed highlights the necessity to adapt activation procedures before utilizing them for adsorption studies.