Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026
07:11
Biofilm Removal Using Carbon Dioxide Aerosols without Nitrogen Purge
Published on: November 6, 2016
6.9K
Date pits activated carbon for divalent lead ions removal
Rambabu Krishnamoorthy1, Bharath Govindan2, Fawzi Banat2
1Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Civil and Chemical Engineering, VIT University, Katpadi Road, Vellore 632014, India; Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, The Petroleum Institute, Al Saada Street, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates.
Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering
|January 26, 2019
Summary
Date pits were converted into activated carbon for effective lead ion removal. This low-cost material demonstrated high adsorption capacity and reusability, offering a sustainable solution for heavy metal remediation.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Adsorption Science
Background:
- Heavy metal contamination, particularly lead (Pb(II)), poses significant environmental and health risks.
- Developing cost-effective and sustainable adsorbents is crucial for efficient water remediation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prepare and characterize phosphoric acid-impregnated activated carbon from date pits (DPAC).
- To evaluate the efficiency of DPAC for the removal of divalent lead ions from aqueous solutions.
Main Methods:
- Single-step activation of date pits with phosphoric acid to produce DPAC.
- Characterization of DPAC's structural, elemental, chemical, surface, and crystal properties.
- Batch adsorption experiments to study the effects of adsorbent dosage, contact time, pH, temperature, and initial concentration on lead removal.
Main Results:
- DPAC exhibited a maximum Pb(II) adsorption capacity of 101.35 mg/g at pH 6 and 30°C within 30 minutes.
- Adsorption efficiency increased with higher initial lead concentrations and adsorbent dosages.
- Pseudo-second order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models best described the lead adsorption process.
- DPAC showed good reusability, maintaining <10% efficiency loss after 4 cycles using HCl for regeneration.
Conclusions:
- Date pits serve as a viable, low-cost precursor for producing efficient activated carbon for lead ion removal.
- DPAC demonstrates promising potential as a sustainable adsorbent for mitigating lead pollution in water.
Related Concept Videos
01:14The Carbon Cycle
43.7K
Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among living organisms, and one in which carbon is cycled over long periods of time through fossilized organic remains, weathering of rocks, and volcanic activity. Human activities, including increased agricultural practices and the burning of fossil fuels, has greatly affected the balance of the natural carbon cycle.
43.7K
03:11Precipitation of Ions
30.3K
Predicting Precipitation
The equation that describes the equilibrium between solid calcium carbonate and its solvated ions is:
The equation that describes the equilibrium between solid calcium carbonate and its solvated ions is:
30.3K
02:54Trends in Lattice Energy: Ion Size and Charge
26.7K
An ionic compound is stable because of the electrostatic attraction between its positive and negative ions. The lattice energy of a compound is a measure of the strength of this attraction. The lattice energy (ΔHlattice) of an ionic compound is defined as the energy required to separate one mole of the solid into its component gaseous ions. For the ionic solid sodium chloride, the lattice energy is the enthalpy change of the process:
26.7K
02:54Ions as Acids and Bases
26.4K
Salts with Acidic Ions
Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions, either of which may be capable of undergoing an acid or base ionization reaction with water. Aqueous salt solutions, therefore, may be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the relative acid-base strengths of the salt’s constituent ions. For example, dissolving the ammonium chloride in water results in its dissociation, as described by the equation:
Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions, either of which may be capable of undergoing an acid or base ionization reaction with water. Aqueous salt solutions, therefore, may be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the relative acid-base strengths of the salt’s constituent ions. For example, dissolving the ammonium chloride in water results in its dissociation, as described by the equation:
26.4K
03:24Common Ion Effect
46.4K
Compared with pure water, the solubility of an ionic compound is less in aqueous solutions containing a common ion (one also produced by dissolution of the ionic compound). This is an example of a phenomenon known as the common ion effect, which is a consequence of the law of mass action that may be explained using Le Châtelier’s principle. Consider the dissolution of silver iodide:
46.4K
01:12Carbon Skeletons
114.9K
Life on Earth is carbon-based, as all macromolecules that make up living organisms contain carbon atoms. All organic compounds have a carbon backbone. Each carbon atom is tetravalent and can bond with four other atoms, making it an extraordinarily flexible component of biological molecules. Because carbon’s valence electrons are stable, it rarely becomes an ion. As the carbon chain increases in length, structural modifications such as ring structures, double bonds, and branching side...
114.9K