Adsorption of Ni (II) from Aqueous Solution in Fixed-Bed Column using Rice Husk-Based Activated Carbon

Heavy metal that discharged from industry can affect the health and causing environmental pollution. A variety of wastewater treatment process which have commercially been used including chemical oxidation, ion exchange, reverse osmosis and carbon adsorption. But these processes normally required high cost of implementation and maintenance. Furthermore, production and generation of superior activated carbon that used as adsorbent to remove heavy metal ions from effluent is also expensive. The objective of this project is to obtain and characterize a cheap alternative precursor rice husk-based activated carbon (RHAC) as well as the investigation of its efficiency for removal of Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution using fixed-bed adsorption column. Rice husk, an agricultural waste, is a good alternative source for cheap precursor of activated carbon due to its abundance and constant availability. In this project, rice husk-based activated carbon was prepared via chemical treatment using NaOH as an activation agent prior the carbonization process. Three samples, i.e. raw rice husk (RRH), treated rice husk (TRH) and rice husk-based activated carbon carbonized at 500°C (RHAC) were analyzed for characterization study using FESEM, XRD, FTIR, TGA and BET. The adsorption potential of rice husk- based activated carbon (RHAC) to remove Cu (II) from aqueous solution is investigated using fixed-bed adsorption column. The results obtained from characterization study indicate that carbonization helps to produce higher carbonaceous material in RHAC leading to the formation of high porous structuree and shows that RHAC has a potential to adsorbent for removal of heavy metals. The results obtained from adsorption studies shows that the RHAC has potential to acts as adsorbent for Ni (II) removal.