Facile preparation of scalable bamboo-derived activated carbon for efficient wastewater treatment

Abstract

Water contamination has reached crisis proportions due to the rapid development of industrial operations. Humans, animals, and aquatic life are all at risk of accumulating non-biodegradable heavy metals and dyes in the water supply. The adsorption process using activated carbon was identified as the most efficient, economical, and facile method. Activated carbon has gained widespread popularity because of its specialty as an adsorbent in wastewater treatments. In addition, the abundance and inexpensiveness of local bamboo can be explored in producing a cheaper and more sustainable source of commercially activated carbon. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the optimal parameters for effective activated carbon production using G. albociliata, a bamboo species by characterizing its material properties and adsorption ability. Fourier infrared spectra and scanning electron microscopy were employed to identify the functional groups and surface porosity of the activated carbon produced. The adsorption abilities of the heavy metals were determined by atomic adsorption spectroscopy and via the adsorption of dyes by ultraviolet-visible analysis. This study revealed that the bamboo-based activated carbon was a powerful adsorbent and a non-toxic agent for wastewater treatment. The copper, zinc, and methylene blue would be removed effectively by more than 99.2%.