Simultaneous Removal of Pesticides from Water by Rice Husk Ash: Batch and Column Studies

The present study evaluated rice husk ash (RHA) as an adsorbent for simultaneous removal of a mixture of seven different pesticides (alachlor, metolachlor, chlorpyriphos, fipronil, alpha-endosulfan, beta-endosulfan, and p,p'-DDT) and two metabolites (p,p'-DDE and endosulfan sulfate) from water. The adsorbent RHA was prepared in the laboratory and characterized by techniques such as X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry. Adsorption kinetics were well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The Freundlich isotherm model fitted the equilibrium data better than the Langmuir model, and the maximum sorption capacity varied from 0.078 to 0.166 mg/g. The column elution studies showed that 10 L of mixed pesticide-contaminated water (0.05 mg/L) can be treated with only 10 g of RHA at a removal efficiency of 90%. The results implied that RHA can be used as a low-cost, easily available, and efficient adsorbent for the simultaneous removal of pesticides from contaminated water.