Preparation of Ficus benghalensis bark activated carbon and its use as an adsorbent for the removal of endocrine disruptor Bisphenol-A

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA), is one of the phenolic endocrine-disrupting compound (EDC) which has estrogenic activity and are acutely toxic to aquatic organisms. Due to an increase in products containing epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics, human exposure to BPA has sequentially increased. Therefore it becomes mandatory to remove the available BPA from aqueous phase. In this study, a novel adsorbent, Ficus benghalensis bark activated carbon (FBBAC) was prepared and proposed for BPA removal from aqueous phase. The adsorption characteristics of BPA on FBBAC were studied by batch experiments. A maximum value of 97.27% BPA removal was obtained using an adsorbent dosage of 1000 mg/50 mL at pH range 6–8. BPA removal equilibrium was reached within 24 h. The results indicated that obtained experimental data has high relativity with selective isotherm kinetic models.