Purification of Treated Wastewater Effluents from Residual Detergents using Activated Carbon Produced from Olive Seeds

Abstract

This study reports the preparation and characterization of activated carbon derived from pulverized olive seeds, as well as its application in the elimination of detergents from wastewater effluents. The activated carbon was produced by carbonization followed by activation. The main characteristics of the prepared activated carbon viz. surface area, ash content, char yield and bulk density were determined. Batch studies were conducted to determine the primary factors influencing the removal efficiency of detergents. The factors considered were the contact time of adsorption, amount of adsorbent used, pH and the concentration of detergent. The characteristics of the produced activated carbon were surface area 546.0 ± 5.6 m2/g, ash content 1.30 ± 0.24%, char yield 23.85 ± 0.63% and bulk density 444.60 ± 3.25 kg/m3. The activated carbon effectively decreased the content of detergents to below 5 mg/L, which is the permissible limit for reusing in irrigation and recharging groundwater. This study indicates that the activated carbon derived from crushed olive seeds is effective in purifying treated wastewater effluents containing residual detergents.