Yehya M. Ahmed

Adsorption of copper, nickel and lead ions from synthetic semiconductor industrial wastewater by palm shell activated carbon

Granular activated carbon produced from palm kernel shell was used as adsorbent to remove copper, nickel and lead ions from a synthesized industrial wastewater.Laboratory experimental investigation was carried out to identify the effect of pH and contact time on adsorption of lead, copper and nickel from the mixed metals solution. Equilibrium adsorption experiments at ambient room temperature were carried out and fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich models. Results showed that pH 5 was the most suitable, while the maximum adsorbent capacity was at a dosage of 1 g/L, recording a sorption capacity of 1.337 mg/g for lead, 1.581 mg/g for copper and 0.130 mg/g for nickel. The percentage metal removal approached equilibrium within 30 min for lead, 75 min for copper and nickel, with lead recording 100 %, copper 97 % and nickel 55 % removal, having a trend of Pb2+ > Cu2+ > Ni2+. Langmuir model had higher R2 values of 0.977, 0.817 and 0.978 for copper, nickel and lead respectively, which fitted the equilibrium adsorption process more than Freundlich model for the three metals.

Synthesis and Characterization of Carbon Nanofibers Grown on Powdered Activated Carbon

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were synthesized through nickel ion (Ni2+) impregnation of powdered activated carbon (PAC). Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) using acetylene gas, in the presence of hydrogen gas, was employed for the synthesis process. Various percentages (1, 3, 5, and 7 wt. %) of Ni2+ catalysts were used in the impregnation of Ni2+ into PAC. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analyzer (EDX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), zeta potential, and Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) were utilized for the characterization of the novel composite, which possessed micro and nanodimensions. FESEM and TEM images revealed that the carbonaceous structure of the nanomaterials was fibrous instead of tubular with average width varying from 100 to 200 nanometers. The PAC surface area increased from 101 m2/g to 837 m2/g after the growth of CNF. TGA combustion temperature range was within 400°C and 570°C, while the average zeta potential of the nanocomposite materials was −24.9 mV, indicating its moderate dispersive nature in water.

Lead Sorption by Carbon Nanofibers Grown on Powdered Activated Carbon — Kinetics and Equilibrium

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were synthesized by using a safe and less hazardous method, compared to using floating catalysts in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. This process used C2H2 as carbon source and oil palm kernel shell-based powdered activated carbon (PAC) as cheap solid substrate. Use of nickel (Ni2+) impregnated PAC as fixed substrate for the synthesis of CNF is one of the novelties of the research work accomplished by the authors. The PAC–CNFs porous nanocomposite product was used for the sorption of lead ions (Pb2+) from synthetic aqueous solution. Kinetics of Pb2+ adsorption and isotherms were investigated by varying initial concentration of lead and contact time. PAC–CNFs were found to remove Pb2+ better at acidic pH of about 5.5. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were applied to the sorption equilibrium data to find the best fitted model. Langmuir isotherm model with R2 = 0.965 fitted the adsorption data better than the Freundlich isotherm. The kinetic processes of Pb2+ adsorption on CNFs were investigated by applying different kinetic models, namely zero-order, pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order. The pseudo-second-order rate equation exhibited the best results with R2 = 0.999, qe = 74.79 (mg/g) and K2 = 0.029 (min ⋅ g/mg). The novel nanocomposite product seemed to have the potential to remove Pb2+ ions from aqueous solution.

The formation of carbon nanofibers on powdered activated carbon impregnated with nickel.

In the present work, the production and characterization of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) composite is reported. Carbon nanofibers (CNF) were produced on powdered activated carbon PAC—impregnated with nickel—by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) of a hydrocarbon in the presence of hydrogen at ∼780° C. The flow rates of carbon source and hydrogen were fixed. The CNFs were formed directly over the impregnated AC. Variable weight percentage ratios of the catalyst salt (Ni+2) were used for the impregnation (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9%, respectively). The product displays a relatively high surface area, essentially constituted by the external surface, and the absence of the bottled pores encountered with activated carbon. FSEM, TEM and TGA were used for the characterization of the product.

Growth of Carbon Nanomaterials on Granular Activated Carbon

Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and subsequent Carbon Nanomaterials (CNMs), there has been an ever increased academic and industrial interest on there various fields of application due to their exceptional mechanical and electrical properties. In this work, granular activated carbon (GAC) made from palm Kernel shell (PKS) of mesh size 8x12 was impregnated with nickel as substrate catalyst for the growth of Carbon Nanomaterials (CNMs) in a chemical decomposition (CVD) reactor. Various percentages by weight of the nickel (1%, 3%, 5% and 7%) were impregnated on the GAC surface for CNM growth. The CNM growth took place at a fixed reaction temperature and gas flow rates for both the hydrogen gas and carbon source. Characterization of the novel composite material was carried out by using SEM, FESEM and TEM. The results show that growth was successful as at 1% nickel impregnation, while a denser network distribution and rougher surface of CNM was observed at 7% nickel. The growth of CNMs on a larger substrate GAC should make handling of the CNMs easier and it is expected to also open new doors of application in water treatment and oil refining.