Adsorption kinetics of picloram on chitosan‑modified Strychnos pungens fruit shell activated carbon
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Date
2025-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
Activated carbon (AC) fabricated using Strychnos pungens fruit shells (biowaste)
and encapsulated in a chitosan biopolymer (CHO) was applied for the removal of
picloram from aqueous solutions. The synthesized activated carbon-chitosan beads
(ACCHO) were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray
diffraction (XRD), Infrared spectroscopy (IR) and Emmett Teller (BET) surface
area analysis. The findings demonstrated the successful encapsulation of AC to
produce ACCHO with both crystalline and amorphous properties. The application
of ACCHO for picloram removal was affected by solution pH, adsorbent dosage,
and initial picloram concentration. The efficiency increased with adsorbent dosage,
reaching an optimum at 40 g/L. Similarly, efficiency increased as pH increased from
2 to 6, but declined at pH 8. Optimal conditions of pH 6, 40 g/L ACCHO dosage and
50 mg/L picloram produced 88% removal efficiency. The picloram adsorption kinet-
ics best fitted the pseudo-first order (PFO) model. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorp-
tion isotherms provide a good description of the picloram adsorption process. The
adsorption mechanism on ACCHO was postulated to involve multiple interactions
caused by electrostatic and weak forces of attraction. The results of the current study
suggest that ACCHO can be used as a potential adsorbent for removing picloram
and similar chemicals from contaminated water.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Picloram herbicide, Adsorption kinetics, Strychnos pungens, Shells, Activated carbon