Performance studies on coconut FIBRE pith based adsorbents for the removal of zinc from industrial effluents

As an alternative to the commercial activated carbon, coconut fibre pith (CFP), a waste material from coir factory was selected as the source material to investigate the suitability of utilizing it as an adsorbent and for the preparation of activated carbons. The adsorption capacity of coconut fibre pith and coconut fibre pith carbons for the removal of zinc in aqueous solution were investigated and subsequently compared with that of commercial coal based activated carbon. The basic design parameters such as pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, adsorbate concentration, adsorption kinetics and isotherm characteristics were evaluated in batch adsorption experiments. The adsorption of zinc by the adsorbents under investigation was found to obey first order kinetics. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms fits were made for the prepared adsorbents. The spent adsorbents were regenerated using varying concentrations of HCl. Regenerated adsorbents were reused for the removal of zinc. Experiment study revealed that the coconut fibre pith was highly efficient in removing zinc than carbons under study and can be used as an alternative to commercial activated carbon in the treatment of zinc.