Topic of Research Seminar: Ultrasonic-assisted removal of methyl orange and bovine serum albumin from wastewater using modified activated carbons

Abstract: The removal of industrial pollutants from water remains a significant challenge in water treatment processes. This study investigated the efficacy of powder-activated carbon (PAC), thermally modified PAC (TPAC), and chemically modified PAC (CPAC) for removing bovine serum albumin (BSA) and Methyl orange (MO) from simulated wastewater. After undergoing treatment, the BET surface area of TPAC increased to 823 m2.g-1, while that of CPAC increased to 657 m2.g-1 compared to the initial surface area of pristine PAC, which was 619 m2.g-1. Batch adsorption experiments assisted by ultrasonication were conducted to evaluate the impact of solution pH, initial concentration, and contact time on the adsorption capacities (qmax) of BSA and MO. TPAC demonstrated superior performance, achieving qmax values of 152 mg.g-1 for MO and 133 mg g-1 for BSA, compared to PAC, which provided qmax values of 124 mg.g-1 and 112 mg.g-1, respectively. Furthermore, pH levels of 3 and 5 were identified as highly effective for the removal of MO and BSA from water, respectively. The adsorption kinetics of both MO and BSA followed pseudo 2nd-order (R2 > 0.99) reaction kinetics under both batch and ultrasonic conditions, confirming the removal of contaminants through Chemisorption. The adsorption trends also satisfied the Langmuir isothermal model, indicating the formation of a uniform monolayer during the adsorption process of these contaminants. To understand the simultaneous effect of all the variables, response surface methodology (RSM) using central composite design (CCD) was used to predict the adsorption capacities of CPAC.

Subject Field of Topic: Materials (Water treatment)

Name of Speaker: Imran Ahmad Khan

Professorial Rank of Speaker: PhD Student

University Email of Speaker: [email protected]

Affiliation of Speaker: School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), NUST

Date and Venue: 08 Nov 2024 at 1100 hrs in SCME Seminar Hall, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), NUST Islamabad