ADSORPTION OF P-NITROPHENOL USING PALM KERNEL SHELL ACTIVATED CARBON: SHALLOW BED TECHNIQUE

This report discusses the research that has been done in order to understand the adsorption
of p-nitro-phenol (PNP) by using activated carbon as adsorbent in shallow bed technique
method.
Adsorption is still one of the preferred methods to remove phenolic compound in
wastewater to this end. Palm Kernel Shell(PKS)Activated Carbonwill be used as the adsorbent
in the experiment. Their adsorptive properties are due to their high surface area, a microporous
structure and high degree ofsurface reactivity. Granular type ofactivated carbon is usually used
in fixed bed adsorption process because of ease of operation and nocarbon loss.
PNP is considered very hazardous. It induces methemoglobin formation. Inhalation or
ingestion ofPNP may cause headache, drowsiness, nausea and cyanosis. Contact with the eyes
may cause irritation. Respiratory effects, an increase in methemoglobin, effects on the liver and
corneal opacity were reported in studies of acute exposure to PNP by U.S. EPA 1994.
Thus, the choice to study the removal of PNP using PKS activated carbon adsorption is
essential. Safety precautions before conducting the experiment are also taken into consideration.
In a shallow bed column, the bedlength is very thin and is operated at adequate highflow
rate. The advantage of shallow bed system is that the adsorption rate can be obtained directly,
without having to depend on material balance because the mass transfer resistance at the fluidto-
solid film surrounding adsorbent particles in this shallow bed column can be negligible. The
PNP concentration will vary only slightly across the bed length. The amount of PNP adsorbed
each time can be obtained by sampling the effluent at short interval. Spectroscopic method will
be used for the result analysis.