Reduction in Oil and Grease from Degreaser Discharged Tank via Adsorption Process Using Microwave-Carbonized Corn Cobs

Abstract

The effects of rapid industrialization created an enormous burden on the environment. The quality of the water source is drastically affected by the discharge coming from industry and domestic usage. Nowadays, the treatment of wastewater involves the use of chemicals, and powder-activated carbon made from agricultural waste is commonly used. This study used corn cob wastes activated with sodium chloride in a 1:2.5 ratio and utilized a microwave. The percent adsorption for powder-activated carbon (PAC) from corn cobs with microwave heating reached 93% removal of oil and grease for a 10 g dosage, while 87% was reached for powder-activated carbon without microwave heating. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms both represent the behavior of PAC, and the breakthrough time decreased as the flow rate of contaminants increased in the continuous flow system. The characteristics of powder-activated corn cobs contained a lot of grooves, crevices, and cracks, and the macropores deep inside the surface were highly developed, which is typical for an activated carbon that facilitates an effective adsorption process. The pore volume was found to be 1.3 cm3/g for PAC with microwave heating and 1.5 cm3/g for that without microwave heating. The pore volume determined the adsorption capacity of PAC from corn cobs.