Synthesis of activated carbons from tomato, pepper, and eggplant residues for water purification: Insights from kinetic and thermodynamic analyses
Küçük Resim Yok
Tarih
2026
Yazarlar
Dergi Başlığı
Dergi ISSN
Cilt Başlığı
Yayıncı
Elsevier
Erişim Hakkı
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
Özet
The widespread occurrence of pharmaceutical contaminants such as amoxicillin (AMX) in aquatic environments poses a significant threat to ecosystems and public health. Transforming abundant agricultural waste into functional adsorbent materials presents a sustainable and economical solution to this growing environmental challenge. This study investigates the synthesis and application of activated carbons (ACs) derived from agricultural waste residues of tomato, pepper, and eggplant for the efficient removal of amoxicillin (AMX) from aqueous solutions. The ACs were prepared via a two-step chemical activation process using KOH and characterized through elemental analysis, BET surface area measurements, zeta potential, Raman, FT-IR, XPS, and SEM imaging. The results revealed high surface areas (2069-2254 m2/g) and a predominance of mesoporous structures, with tomato-derived activated carbon (TAC) exhibiting the highest mesopore area (1780.31 m2/g). Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated a maximum AMX removal efficiency of 94.6 % under optimal conditions (50 mg/L initial concentration, 310 K, 60 min contact time). The Langmuir isotherm model provided the best fit for the adsorption data, indicating monolayer coverage with a maximum adsorption capacity of 370.37 mg/g for TAC. Kinetic studies confirmed that the adsorption process adhered to the Pseudo-Second-Order model, suggesting chemisorption as the rate-limiting step. Thermodynamic analysis revealed negative values for Gibbs free energy (Delta G degrees), enthalpy (Delta H degrees), and entropy (Delta S degrees), confirming the spontaneity, exothermic nature, and decreased randomness of the adsorption process. These findings highlight the potential of agricultural waste-derived ACs as sustainable and cost-effective adsorbents for mitigating pharmaceutical contaminants in water, providing significant environmental and economic benefits.
Açıklama
Anahtar Kelimeler
Activated Carbon, Adsorption, Amoxicillin, Kinetics, Thermodynamics
Kaynak
Surfaces and Interfaces
WoS Q Değeri
Q1
Scopus Q Değeri
Q1
Cilt
80
