Activated date carbon: a sustainable solution for Pentachlorophenol adsorption in reused wastewater

Industrial wastewaters contain persistent and toxic organic compounds that pose a significant risk to public health and the environment upon release. Phenol and its derivatives are examples of such pollutants. Activated carbon, often sourced from unconventional materials like plant biomass, provides a sustainable solution for treating wastewater. This research focuses on creating activated carbon from date nuts through chemical activation with phosphoric acid. The effectiveness of this carbon in removing pentachlorophenol (PCP) from secondary wastewater (SWW) is evaluated. The analysis of the date nut activated carbon (DAC) includes studying its adsorption capacities for iodine and Methylene Blue, surface functional groups, and the point of zero charge (pHpzc) compared to a commercial activated carbon (CAC). The DAC demonstrates promising adsorption capacities, with values of 368.03 mg/g for iodine and 619.9 mg/g for Methylene Blue, which are close to those of the CAC (444.17 mg/g and 620.25 mg/g, respectively). Both DAC and CAC exhibit acidic surface functionalities, with pHpzc values below 10. The efficiency of PCP removal from SWW contaminated with PCP (100 mg/L) reaches 78% within 72 hours. This study indicates that using DAC for PCP removal from SWW is a sustainable approach for wastewater treatment, potentially allowing for the reuse of non-traditional water sources.