BTEX adsorption from aqueous solutions using activated carbon from Melaleuca cajuputi leaves

Abstract

This study put forward Melaleuca cajuputi leaves to prepare activated carbon using H₃PO₄ as an activating agent and examined the aqueous solution of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX). The surface functional group, surface morphology, and surface area were identified by employing Fourier transform infrared spectra, field emission scanning microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller to characterize the properties of the produced activated carbon; others include pH, moisture content, and yield percentage. The activated carbon's performance was assessed using batch adsorption experiment. 50 mg/L of BTEX disintegrates in purified water to form the standard solution and is stored at 4 °C. The study examined the effects of time spent in contact, dosage of the adsorbent and initial concentration. The results show that Melaleuca cajuputi activated carbon (MCAC2) has the optimum surface area 128 m²/g and performs very effectively as a BTEX adsorbent. According to the BTEX adsorption data, MCAC2 has 94% elimination effectiveness at 50 mg/L after 30 min of contact. To further adapt the experimental information for BTEX adsorption onto the MCAC2, Freundlich, Langmuir, and pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models were used. The findings fitted pseudo-second-order with optimal values of R² = 0.979, and the isotherm model adsorption fitted Langmuir model with values of R² = 0.992 The finding reveals that Melaleuca cajuputi leaves are useful material for producing adsorbents, and successful testing outcomes demonstrate that M. cajuputi leaves products serves as a vital organic absorbent in the decomposition of BTEX.