Sains Malaysiana 49(11)(2020): 2721-2734

http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2020-4911-11

Comparative Adsorption Mechanism of Rice Straw Activated Carbon Activated with NaOH and KOH

(Perbandingan Mekanisma Penjerapan Karbon Teraktif Jerami Padi yang Diaktif dengan NaOH dan KOH)

MOHAMAD JANI SAAD^1,4, MOHD SHAIFUL SAJAB², WAN NAZRI WAN BUSU⁴, SUFIAN MISRAN³, SARANI ZAKARIA¹, SIEW XIAN CHIN⁵ & CHIN HUA CHIA¹*

¹Bioresources and Biorefinery Laboratory, Materials Science Program, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

²Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

³Forest Research Institute of Malaysia, 52100 Kepong, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

⁴Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

⁵ASASIpintar Program, Pusat GENIUS@Pintar Negara, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Diserahkan: 16 Disember 2019/Diterima: 14 Mei 2020

ABSTRACT

Activated carbon (AC) was produced from rice straw via a two-step method. Potassium hydroxide (KOH) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were used as activating agent. The activated carbon (AC) samples were used as adsorbent to remove methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. Characterizations using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area (BET), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were performed on the samples before the MB adsorption experiments. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics analyses were carried out under different conditions of pH, temperature, and MB concentration to study the adsorption efficiency of the samples against the MB solution. The adsorption kinetics of both activated carbon samples followed the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption capacity of the KOH rice straw activated carbon towards MB achieved a maximum adsorption 588 mg/g as compared to 232 mg/g of the NaOH rice straw activated carbon. The intraparticle diffusion model indicated that the adsorption process of the activated carbon samples toward MB included the external mass transfer and diffusion of MB molecules into the adsorbents. Adsorption isotherm results for MB on the activated carbon samples fit the Langmuir isotherm, suggesting monolayer adsorption during the adsorption process.

Keywords: Activated carbon; adsorption; adsorption isotherm; methylene blue; rice straw

ABSTRAK

Karbon teraktif dihasilkan daripada jerami padi melalui kaedah 2 peringkat. Potasium hidroksida (KOH) dan natrium hidroksida (NaOH) telah digunakan sebagai agen aktivasi. Sampel karbon teraktif (AC) telah digunakan sebagai bahan penjerap untuk menyingkirkan metilena biru (MB) daripada larutan akuas. Pencirian terhadap sampel karbon teraktif menggunakan mikroskopi penskanan elektron (SEM), luas permukaan Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) danspektroskopi transformasi Fourier inframerah (FTIR) telah dijalankan sebelum uji kaji penjerapan MB. Analisis kinetik dan isoterma penjerapan dijalankan pada pelbagai keadaan pH, suhu dan kepekatan MB bagi mengkaji kecekapan penjerapan sampel terhadap larutan MB. Penjerapan kinetik untuk kedua-dua sampel karbon teraktif menuruti model tertib pseudo kedua. Kapasiti penjerapan karbon teraktif jerami padi KOH terhadap MB telah mencapai penjerapan maksimum sebanyak 588 mg/g berbanding karbon teraktif jerami padi NaOH iaitu 232 mg/g. Model peresapan intrapartikel bagi proses penjerapan sampel karbon teraktif terhadap MB merangkumi pemindahan berat luaran dan resapan molekul MB terhadap karbon teraktif. Keputusan isoterma penjerapan mengikuti isoterma Langmuir, ia menunjukkan penjerapan lapisan mono berlaku semasa proses penjerapan.

Kata kunci: Isoterma penjerapan; jerami padi; karbon teraktif; metilena biru; penjerapan

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*Pengarang untuk surat-menyurat; email: chia@ukm.edu.my