Parametric Study on the Removal of Oxytetracycline from Aqueous Solution by Adsorption using Coconut Shell-derived Activated Carbon
Author : David, Darwin Jay Pagtakhan
Major Adviser : Arocena, Rhebner E.
Committee Members : Migo-Sumagang, Maria Victoria P.; Capunitan, Jewel A.; Alfafara, Catalino G.
Year : 2016
Month : December
Type : Thesis
Degree: BS
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Abstract
The study determined the performance of coconut shell-derived activated carbon for the removal of the antibiotic, oxytetracycline from aqueous solution through batch adsorption. The coconut shell was pyrolyzed and chemically activated using phosphoric acid as activating agent at 450 oC for 1 hour. The coconut shell activated carbon was then characterized by SEM and FTIR analyses. The activated carbon was found to be highly porous and different functional groups such as hydroxyl groups, alkyne groups and axial deformation of carbonyl groups were present. The activated carbon was used to adsorb oxytetracycline from aqueous solution. The effects of the initial pH, particle size and agitation speed as factors on the percent removal of OTC were determined. The highest percent removal (61.05 % ± 7.60 %) is at initial pH 3, particle size of 0.177 mm, agitation speed of 500 rpm and 0.1 g adsorbent loading. Also, the initial pH and particle size have significant effects on the percent removal of OTC. In terms of isotherm model, type 2 Langmuir isotherm is the appropriate model in the study since it has the highest value of R 2 , which is 0.9948, and lowest value of error, which is 6.3770. The maximum adsorption capacity of coconut shell activated carbon is 125.9856 mg/g. The separation factor R of the isotherm lies between 0 and 1, so the CSAC-OTC pair is favorable.
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