Synthesis and Application of Coconut Shell Activated Carbon Fe3O4 Composite for Zn2+ Metal Ion Adsorption from Wastewater

Wahyu Triaji Rahadianto, S.Tr.T.,M.T., Heni Sugesti, Yogi Chandra

Abstract

Industrial wastewater containing heavy metals such as Zn²⁺ ions is one of the hazardous pollutants that can pose serious risks to the environment and human health. The presence of Zn²⁺ in aquatic systems at high concentrations can lead to acute toxicity, thus requiring effective and sustainable treatment methods. Adsorption has become one of the most widely developed treatment approaches due to its advantages, including high efficiency, low operational cost, and environmental friendliness. This study aims to synthesize and characterize Fe₃O₄/activated carbon composites as adsorbents for the removal of Zn²⁺ ions from wastewater. Fe₃O₄ was synthesized through a coprecipitation method using FeCl₃·6H₂O and FeSO₄·7H₂O precursors, and subsequently combined with thermally activated coconut-shell carbon to enhance surface area and adsorption capacity. The composite was characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Adsorption tests were conducted using various composite masses 0.04 g, 0.05 g, 0.06 g, 0.07 g, and 0.08 g to examine the effect of adsorbent dosage. The best performance was obtained at an adsorbent mass of 0.08 g with an optimum contact time of 75 minutes. Under these conditions, an initial Zn²⁺ concentration of 30 ppm decreased significantly, achieving a maximum removal efficiency of 91% and 84.63% under other test conditions. These findings indicate that the Fe₃O₄/activated carbon composite exhibits high effectiveness and selectivity in adsorbing Zn²⁺ ions and holds strong potential for development as a wastewater treatment material based on renewable and environmentally friendly local resources.

Full Text:

PDF

References

. S. Hussain, M. Khan, T.M.M. Sheikh, M.Z. Mumtaz, T.A. Chohan, S. Shamim, et al., “Zinc Essentiality, Toxicity, and Its Bacterial Bioremediation: A Comprehensive Insight,” Front. Microbiol., vol. 13, 2022. [2]. K.H. Hama Aziz, F.S. Mustafa, K.M. Omer, S. Hama, R.F. Hamarawf and K.O. Rahman, “Heavy metal pollution in the aquatic environment: efficient and low-cost removal approaches to eliminate their toxicity: a review,” RSC Adv., vol. 13, pp. 17595–17610, 2023. [3]. A. Gupta, V. Sharma, K. Sharma, V. Kumar, S. Choudhary, P. Mankotia, et al., “A review of adsorbents for heavy metal decontamination: Growing approach to wastewater treatment,” Materials, vol. 14, 2021. [4]. M. Tarikuzzaman, “A Review on Activated Carbon: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications,” Eur. J. Adv. Eng. Technol., vol. 2023, 2023. [5]. J. Saleem, Z.K.B. Moghal, F. Tahir, T. Al-Ansari and G. McKay, “Environmental Impacts and Adsorption Isotherms of Coconut Shell Activated Carbon: Effect of Acid Activation, Water, and Fuel,” C-J. Carbon Res., vol. 11, no. 1, Mar., 2025. [6]. T.T. Bui, D.C. Nguyen, S.H. Hua, H. Chun and Y.S. Kim, “Sonochemical Preparation of a Magnet-Responsive Fe₃O₄@ZIF-8 Adsorbent for Efficient Cu2+ Removal,” Nanomaterials, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 753, Feb., 2022. [7]. X. Wang, X. Wang, W. Chen, J. Yuan and Q. Zhang, “Adsorption of Cu(II) Pb(II) in Aqueous Solution by Biochar Composites,” ACS Omega, vol. 10, no. 14, pp. 13816–13828, Apr., 2025. [8]. Q. Su, J. Zhang, X. Wang, Y. Li, S. Lin and J. Han, “Adsorption removal of copper (II) and chromium (VI) from wastewater by Fe₃O₄-loaded granular activated carbon,” Water Pract. Technol., vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 99–112, Jan., 2024. [9]. X. Yang, Y. Wan, Y. Zheng, F. He, Z. Yu and J. Huang, “Surface functional groups of carbon-based adsorbents and their roles in the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions: A critical review,” Chem. Eng. J., vol. 366, pp. 608–621, 2019. [10]. T.A. Khan, A.A. Mukhlif and E.A. Khan, “Uptake of Cu2+ and Zn2+ from simulated wastewater using muskmelon peel biochar: Isotherm and kinetic studies,” Egyp. J. Basic Appl. Sci., vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 236–248, Sep., 2017. [11]. A. Allwar, G.D. Apriliani, F.M. Wokas and E.Y. Saputri, “Potential-Magnetic Composite of Fe₃O₄/Activated Carbon from Palm Oil Shell,” Appl. Mech. Mater., vol. 897, pp. 68–72, Apr., 2020. [12]. E.S. Mirjavadi, R. M.A.Tehrani and A. Khadir, “Effective adsorption of zinc on magnetic nanocomposite of Fe₃O₄/zeolite/cellulose nanofibers: kinetic, equilibrium, and thermodynamic study,” Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., vol. 26, no. 32, pp. 33478–33493, Nov., 2019. [13]. I.E.P. Lestari, “Penggunaan karbon aktif magnetit- Fe₃O₄ sebagai penyerap zat warna Remazol Yellow,” BiGME, pp. 29–37, 2021.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/equilibrium.v9i2.111786

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.