Characterization of Developed Agro-Based Adsorbents: A Study

Abstract

Increased waste as a result of unsustainable industrialization, urbanization, and agriculturalization is a serious threat to the comfort of human life. Our ecosystem has been severely damaged by the production and disposal of massive amounts of harmful materials and pollutants. Technologies must be created to eliminate or drastically reduce hazardous waste and pollutants from the environment. By using agricultural waste and by-products to create environmentally acceptable adsorbents, adsorption is one way for removing pollutants from water and waste water. It is crucial to evaluate the capability of various produced adsorbents and determine how well they can be used to treat water and wastewater. To address this, research is being done on characterizing these materials. Proximate analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis, FTIR, SEM, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS), BET surface area analysis, and X-ray diffraction are used to analyze agricultural wastes. According to XRD studies, agro-based adsorbents have an amorphous structure, which is a benefit for well-defined porous adsorbents. Development of good porosity occurred in all materials due to chemical treatment given to materials, which was evident from SEM images and results of BET analysis. Adsorbents prepared from agricultural wastes had large surface area ranging from 950-1200 m2/g, which makes them efficient adsorbents like conventionally used charcoal. EDS test results also shows that normal carbon content is in range 57 to 59% which is good for adsorption. Proximate analysis and bulk density also supported that developed adsorbents has the great potential. Agro-based adsorbents are efficient adsorbent which is a good alternative to conventionally and commercially available activated charcoal.