Oil spill removal using coconut shell based composite magnetic activated carbon

Abstract

Activated carbon from coconut shell has been used as an oil adsorbent for various applications because of its high surface area, micro porosity and good sorption properties. However, the collection process after the sorption process is difficult due to its granular form. Impregnating the activated carbon with magnetic particle can solve the problem by removing the used adsorbent using magnet. The objectives of this study were to determine the optimum activation temperature and to compare the effect of immersion time. The study also investigated the effect of the iron to activated carbon ratio on oil removal capacities and the potential of reusability of the composite magnetic activated carbon. The activated carbon was produced by pyrolysation and activated at 600˚C, 800˚C and 1000˚C. This was followed by the preparation of the composite magnetic activated carbon by co-precipitation method. The magnetic adsorbent was then characterised by using FTIR spectra and the surface characteristics was analysed using surface analyser. The highest oil removal were samples prepared at activation temperature of 800˚C with the composite adsorbent oil removal was at 2 g/g which was 11.5% more than the activated carbon sample. Higher concentration of iron did not benefit the oil removal process as the higher the concentration of iron used, the less oil was adsorbed. Finally, the reusability of the composite magnetic activated carbon showed promising result.