Date palm leaf-derived activated carbon for enhanced copper (II) removal from aqueous solutions: A sustainable adsorbent for water treatment applications

Heavy metal contamination demands sustainable and cost-effective treatment technologies. This study reports the development of high-performance activated carbon derived from date palm leaves (DPL-AC) and demonstrates its superiority for copper(II) removal in a direct comparison with commercial activated carbon (CAC). The synthesized DPL-AC was characterized using BET, FTIR, SEM, and XRD techniques to determine its structural and functional properties. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, and initial copper(II) concentration on removal efficiency. Results demonstrated that DPL-AC achieved superior copper(II) removal (97%) compared to CAC (17%) under optimized conditions. The enhanced adsorption capacity is attributed to the oxygen-rich functional groups of DPL-AC, as identified by the FTIR technique. These groups provide active binding sites that facilitate a dominant chemisorption mechanism involving surface complexation with Cu(II) ions. This chemistry-driven process explains DPL-AC's superior maximum adsorption capacity of 170.71 mg/g, as predicted by the Langmuir isotherm model, which is nearly four times that of CAC (43.99 mg/g), despite its modest surface area. By valorizing agricultural wastes into a more effective adsorbents than a commercial standard, this work presents a scalable, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable solution for heavy metal remediation, contributing to circular economy principles.