Removal of Rhodamine B Dye Using Activated Carbon Prepared from Palm Kernel Shell and Coated with Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

The efficacy of activated carbon prepared from Palm Kernel Shell (PKSAC) from agriculture biomass and coated with magnetic nanoparticle (Fe3O4) in the removal of Rhodamine B dye was investigated. Adsorption experiments were carried out at various initial pH, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, particle size, and temperature. Kinetic analyses were conducted using pseudo first order, pseudo second order and intra particle diffusion models. However, the regression results showed that the adsorption kinetics was represented more accurately by the pseudo second order model. The pseudo second order kinetic constant obtained was 1.7 x 10 (4) min(-1) at 323K when 200 mg L-1 dye concentration was used. The equilibrium data were well described by both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The Langmuir adsorption capacity was 625 mgg(-1). The rate of adsorption improved with increasing temperature and the process was endothermic with Delta H value assessed at 80 kJmol(-1). Results obtained reveal that activated carbon prepared from Palm Kernel Shell coated with magnetic nanoparticle from agriculture biomass can be an attractive option for dye removal from industrial effluent.