Adsorption Study of Paracetamol with Graphene oxide Synthesized from Agricultural waste

Abstract The production of cheap and eco-friendly graphene material for the removal of contaminants in wastewater is necessary for sustainable water treatment. In this study, the production of graphene oxide from agricultural wastes (rind of orange and palm kernel shell) for the adsorption of paracetamol from aqueous solution was examined. The Graphene Oxides (GO) were produced using modified Hummer method and characterized using XRD and FTIR analyses. The kinetic data were analyzed using the pseudo-first and pseudo-second order equations, while the equilibrium isotherm data were fitted into Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. FTIR spectral indicated mainly the presence of oxygen containing functional groups such as Hydroxyl group (OH) and Carbonyl group (C=O, C-O) confirming the synthesis of graphene oxide. The highest percentage removal of 76.6 from the aqueous paracetamol solution was established at pH 7, adsorbent dose of 0.4 g and contact time of 80 minutes with graphene oxide from palm kernel shell. The adsorption data was best described by pseudo-second-order model (R2---gt--- 0.900) and Freundlich isotherm. Therefore the rind of orange and palm kernel shell can be suitable cheap alternatives to graphite for the synthesis of GO. Modification and further purification of the GO can be carried out to enhance their adsorption capacities.