Synthesis and Characterization of Flash Graphene for Use in Remediation of Contaminants in Iraqi Groundwater Using Batch Adsorption Techniques

This research aims to assess the behavior and effectiveness of flash graphene (FG) in the remediation of pH, EC, total dissolved solids (TDS), cations, and Fe+3 from real groundwater (GW) of the wells of the Al-Raeed Research Station, which is used in reclamation and irrigation. enclose that contaminant levels in remediated real GW abide criterion of Iraqis and Food and Agriculture (FAO) standards. Adsorption technology in the batch adsorption mode experiment was achieved by FG, a carbon-based, highly porous structure that has strong adsorption capacity due to its beneficial surface area (71.7 m2/gm). A locally designed and manufactured electroflash reactor was used to synthesize FG by converting activated carbon derived from banana peels. In this process, banana-peel activated carbon (BPAc) was exposed to a mild spark and 8–10 circuit break shocks per reactor run. The FG morphology and functional adsorption groups were characterized via scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and X-ray diffraction tests. The remediation efficiencies in the batch experiments were 69%, 69%, 61%, and 100% for Ca, Mg, TDS, and Fe, respectively, at an optimum FG dosage of 1.5 g, contact time of 4 hours, 150 rpm, and pH of 7. The adsorption capacity, which followed the Freundlich isotherm model, was Ca+2 = 14.6 mg/g, Mg+2 = 16.4 mg/g, Fe+6 = 0.074 mg/g, TDS = 7.3 mg/g. Finally, with the synthesized FG used and the parameters (dose, agitation speed, pH, and contact time) adjusted, the batch mode experiments on real GW samples yielded pH, EC, T.D.S., Mg+2, Ca+2, and Fe+3 values, which satisfied FAO restrictions and Iraqi standards.