The potential of granular‐activated carbon (GAC) derived from agrowaste of Mangostene (Mangostana garcinia) fruit peel was investigated in batch and fixed bed system as a replacement of current expensive methods for treating wastewater contaminated by manganese, Mn(II) cations. Batch equilibrium data was analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models at different temperatures. The effect of inlet metal ion concentration (50 mg/L, 70 mg/L, and 100 mg/L), feed flow rate (1 mL/min and 3 mL/min), and activated carbon bed height (4.5 cm and 3 cm) on the breakthrough characteristics of the fixed bed sorption system were determined. The adsorption data were fitted with well‐established column models, namely, Thomas, Yoon‐Nelson, and Adams‐Bohart. The results were best‐fitted with Thomas and Yoon‐Nelson models rather than Adams‐Bohart model for all conditions. The column had been regenerated and reused consecutively for five cycles. The results demonstrated that the prepared activated carbon was suitable for removal of Mn(II) ions from wastewater using batch as well as fixed bed sorption system.

This research deals with the effect of the temperature on the physical, thermal, electrochemical, and adsorption properties of the carbon micro-spheres using hydrothermal carbonization (HTC). Until recently, limited research has been conducted regarding the effects of delignification during the HTC process of biomass residues especially Dimocarpus longan. In this regard, lignin was first extracted from the lingo-cellulosic waste of Longan fruit peel (Dimocarpus longan). The holocellulose (HC) separated from lignin and raw biomass substrates (Longan fruit exocarp/peel powder, LFP) were carbonized at different temperatures using water as the green catalyst. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) was performed for both of the samples (LFP and HC) at 200 °C, 250 °C, and 300 °C for 24 h each. The surface morphological structures, the porosity, and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of the prepared micro-spherical carbon were determined. The BET surface areas obtained for HC-based carbon samples were lower than that of the raw LFP based carbon samples. The carbon obtained was characterized using ultimate and proximate analyses. The surface morphological features and phase transformation of the synthesized micro-spherical carbon was characterized by a field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results demonstrated that the extraction of lignin could significantly alter the end properties of the synthesized carbon sample. The carbon spheres derived from LFP showed a higher carbon content than the HC-based carbon. The absence of lignin in the holo-cellulose (HC) made it easy to disintegrate in comparison to the raw, LFP-based carbon samples during the HTC process. The carbonaceous samples (LFP-300 and HC-300) prepared at 300 °C were selected and their adsorption performance for Pb (II) cations was observed using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin linear isotherm models. At 30 °C, the equilibrium data followed the Langmuir isotherm model more than the Freundlich and Temkin model for both the LFP-300 sample and the HC-300 sample. The potential of the synthesized carbon microspheres were further analyzed by thermodynamic characterizations of the adsorption equilibrium system.

In this study, activated carbon was produced by physico-chemical activation of hydrothermally carbonized (HTC) material derived from the dried stem of Corchorus olitorius commonly known as jute (JS), using potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an activation agent. The activation process was optimized using Box–Behnken factorial design (BBD), with outcome of 29 different experiments under predefined conditions. Four different parameters, namely activation temperature (x₁), activation time (x₂), ratio of char to KOH (x₃) and CO₂ flow rate (x₄), were optimized with respect to their influence on maximum removal percentage for divalent cations of Cu(II) (Y₁) and carbon yield (Y₂). All the four process parameters had strong positive effect on adsorption capacity up to a certain limit; beyond which it started to decline. The specific surface area of the hydrochar (HTC) was enhanced substantially after the activation process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the morphology of the JS based hydrochar (JSC) changed significantly after KOH impregnation and activation under the flow of CO₂ gas. The Langmuir maximum monolayer adsorption capacity for Cu(II) cations was 31.44 mg g⁻¹. Equilibrium isotherm data were well followed by Freundlich and Temkin models. Due to an increase in temperature, the Langmuir maximum monolayer adsorption capacity, q_m (mg g⁻¹) and Freundlich constant, K_F increased successively, representing an endothermic nature of the adsorption.

Micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) was applied to remove cadmium ion from wastewater using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as a micelle in this study. Investigations were carried out on operational parameters such as initial permeate flux, retentate pressure, initial cadmium concentration, pH solution, molecular weight cut-off (MWCO), and molar ratio of cadmium to SDS. Removal efficiency of cadmium increased with increase in retentate pressure, pH solution, and molar ratio of cadmium to SDS and decreased with increase in initial permeate flux. Higher removal efficiency of cadmium was achieved using lower MWCO. In optimized experimental condition, cadmium removal efficiency reached 75% within an hour. With MEUF–ACF hybrid process, removal efficiencies of cadmium and SDS were found to be over 99 and 90%, respectively. Freundlich isotherm equation fitted better with experimental results on adsorption of SDS by ACF than Langmuir isotherm equation. Overall SDS removal efficiency of ACF unit in series was 90%.