PREPARATION OF ACTIVATED CARBON FROM SUGARCANE BAGASSE USING ZnCl2 FOR THE REMOVAL OF Cu (II) ION FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION: APPLICATION OF RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY (RSM)

Abstract

This study aimed at preparing low cost activated carbon (AC) from sugarcane bagasse by ZnCl2 activation and evaluating the effects of synthesis conditions and variables using the response surface methodology (RSM) approach for the adsorption of Cu (II) ion from aqueous solution by the synthesized ACs. From the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the most influential factors including activation temperature, impregnation ratio and activation time on each experimental design response were investigated. The optimized conditions for preparation of AC and removal of Cu (II) ions were identified with the activation temperature of 673 K, impregnation ratio of 1.5 and activation time of 35.2 minutes. An optimized conditions based–test experiment with 48.8 % of AC yield and 92.3 % Cu (II) ion removal was observed.