Triclosan removal by adsorption using activated carbon derived from waste biomass: isotherms and kinetic studies

Abstract

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent that is normally used in many personal care products such as toothpastes, shampoos, deodorants, and cosmetics and is toxic to some aquatic organisms, amphibians, and the male reproductive system. In this study, activated carbon from coconut pulp waste (Cocos nuciefera) is used to remove triclosan from aqueous solutions. Activated carbon was prepared using coconut pulp waste treated with zinc chloride and burned in a horizontal furnace with nitrogen flow at 300°C for 1 hr. The parameters studied were the contact time, adsorbent dosage, agitation, initial triclosan concentration, pH, and temperature. The characterization of the adsorbent was done by field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The activated carbon reaches equilibrium in 20 min with a percentage removal of 80.77% and adsorbent capacity (qe) of 2.02 mg/g. From the kinetic study, it was concluded that the adsorbent followed a pseudo‐second‐order type reaction with a correlation coefficient (R2) of .999, and qe = 2.036 mg/g. From the isotherm study, the adsorbent was found to follow the Langmuir isotherm with a higher R2 value of .9249 compared to the Freundlich and Temkin isotherms. This study proved that activated carbon derived from coconut pulp waste can be a promising low‐cost adsorbent to remove dissolved triclosan from water.