Abstract

Synthetic Organic Chemicals (SOCs) are man-made carbon-based compounds that are less likely to escape into the atmosphere and hence could get into aquatic water bodies through terrestrial runoff or discharge from factories. This paper therefore investigated the adsorption of certain SOCs in aqueous solutions using carbonized and surfacemodified carbons produced from Nipa Palm (Nypa Fruticans Wurmb) fronds using chemical oxygen demand (COD) as the index of measurement. The microstructure of the Nipa palm biomass and carbonized carbon evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM); energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) and FTIR has already been published elsewhere. Data obtained for the present investigation revealed that percent COD reduction of SOCs by the carbons ranged between 93.81 – 96.67%, while COD reduction capacity estimated by Langmuir-type model was between 1.77 - 11.83 mg/g at ambient temperature and at an optimum pH of 8.5. Kinetic assessment of the results showed that, pseudofirst order kinetic equation did not provide a very good description of COD reduction of the SOCs in aqueous solution by the Nipa palm derived carbons. Thermodynamic assessment by Gibbs free energy (∆Go, KJ/mol) revealed that ∆Go values were negative (1.45 - 5.89). The results obtained show that Nipa palm could be a beneficial source for the development of an eco-friendly and locally available activated carbon for removal of organic contaminants from domestic and industrial wastewaters