Adsorption of Chromium (Cr(VI)), Manganese (Mn(II)), Methylene Blue, Paracetamol), and Ibuprofen from Water by a blend material of (avocado seeds and paper waste)

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dc.contributor.authorMabalane, Koketso
dc.contributor.co-supervisorThabede, P. M., Dr.
dc.contributor.supervisorShooto, N. D., Prof.
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-16T08:31:33Z
dc.date.available2025-10-16T08:31:33Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.descriptionM (ASC) (Partial Fulfillment) (Department of Natural Sciences: Chemistry, Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences), Vaal University of Technology.
dc.description.abstractEnvironmental pollution is currently a worrying problem, as more and more harmful pollutants are being released into water bodies and the environment. Many of these water pollutants are dangerous and pose a threat to all living creatures and the ecosystem. To mitigate this problem, we have developed adsorbents from paper waste and avocado seeds. We also produced carbon blends from avocado seeds and paper waste and activated them with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), nitric acid (HNO3) and potassium permanganate (KMnO4). We tested their effectiveness in removing Cr(VI), Mn(II), MB (methylene blue dye), IBU (Ibuprofen) and PRC (Paracetamol) from water. The adsorbents from paper waste were characterized by Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Branauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) to determine the properties of the materials. The surface morphology of the materials consisted of amorphous particles. The EDX shows that all activated samples have a higher content of (O) compared to CPW (carbon paper waste). The adsorption studies showed a stronger interaction between the contaminant and the adsorbent at a higher initial concentration (100 mg/L) than at the lower initial concentrations. The contact time data show that uptake increases as the interaction time between the contaminant and the adsorbent increases. The tests for the pH of the solution show that the adsorption of Cr(VI) decreases when the pH is gradually increased, on the other hand MB (methylene blue dye) showed that the adsorption increases when the pH of the solution is increased. The results are in better agreement with the Freundlich isotherm and the PSO models. The temperature studies show that the enthalpy was positive, indicating that the uptake process is endothermic. The Gibbs free energy values were all negative, indicating that the adsorption between the adsorbents and the contaminants was favored. According to the results, the BET surface area for CAS (carbon from activated seed), ACAP (activated carbon from avocado seeds by nitric acid), ACAN (activated carbon from avocado seeds by hydrogen peroxide) and ACAH (activated carbon from avocado seeds by potassium permanganate) were 17.30, 29.50, 32.80 and 33.90 m2/g, respectively. The presence of functional groups such as -OH, -COOH, -CO and -COC on the surface of the adsorbents was detected by FTIR spectra. The avocado seed based adsorbents SEM images showed a morphological change in ACAN that could be related to HNO3 oxidation during modification, which resulted in smaller spheres. For Cr(VI) and Mn(II) ions, all adsorbents were found to have greater uptake capacity at pH 2, with maximum adsorption capacities of 49.8 and 50.1 mg/g, respectively. The isothermal data showed that the uptake of Cr(VI) and Mn(II) ions on all adsorbents was a good fit to Freundlich. For both Cr(VI) and Mn(II) ions, the adsorption capacity developed according to ACAH>ACAP>ACAN>CAS. Blend materials were confirmed using SEM, BET and FTIR, the data showed that the morphology of the adsorbents was porous, had a large surface area and several functional groups were bound to the surface. The concentration effect experiments showed that the uptake of IBU and PRC increased with increasing initial concentration and that these data were consistent with the Freundlich model. The contact time effect showed that the uptake of PRC was rapid in the initial phase for all adsorbents. However, the rate gradually slowed down and equilibrium was reached after 40 min for BCMN (nitric acid-activated mixed carbon material), 60 min for BCMH (hydrogen peroxide-activated mixed carbon material) and BCMP (potassium permanganate-activated mixed carbon material) and 120 min for BCM. IBU, on the other hand, showed that equilibrium was reached after 30 min for BCMN, BCMH and BCMP and after 120 min for BCM. These data complemented the PSO model. The model is based on chemisorption, where electrons are transferred and shared, hydrogen bonding and the π-π interaction. The △H° value confirms that the sorption of IBU and PRC was endothermic. The △S° was positive, indicating greater freedom at the solution interface during uptake.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10352/821
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherVaal University of Technology
dc.subjectEnvironmental pollution
dc.subjectPollutants
dc.subjectAdsorbents
dc.subjectCarbonization
dc.subjectWater pollution
dc.subjectPaper waste-based adsorbents
dc.subjectAvocado seed based adsorbents
dc.subject.lcshDissertation, Academic -- South Africa.
dc.subject.lcshWater -- Pollution.
dc.subject.lcshAdsorption.
dc.titleAdsorption of Chromium (Cr(VI)), Manganese (Mn(II)), Methylene Blue, Paracetamol), and Ibuprofen from Water by a blend material of (avocado seeds and paper waste)
dc.typeThesis
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