ADSORPTION OF Cu(II) FROM THE AQUEOUS SOLUTION BY CHEMICAL ACTIVATED ADSORBENT OF ARECA CATECHU SHELL

Areca catechu shell (ACS) was utilised as adsorbent for removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution. FTIR and SEM analysis were conducted to characterise the surface morphology of chemical activated ACS adsorbent. The ACS adsorbent has been investigated in terms of contact time and Cu(II) initial concentration. As a result, the efficiency of Cu(II) removal in solution exponentially increased with contact time reaching equilibrium at 9.6 ks. Cu (II) adsorption capacity increased over the increasing Cu(II) initial concentration in solution from 0 to 14 mg/L, and it decreased for the decreasing Cu(II) initial concentration in solution from 14 to 25 mg/L. The highest Cu(II) adsorption capacity for the Cu(II) initial concentration being in the range of 1-25 mg/L was 1.33 mg/g at 14 mg/L Cu(II) initial concentration. The kinetics study showed the Cu(II) adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics with the correlation coefficients (R-2) being 0.999 and the rate constant, kH being 0.18 g/mg. ks. Meanwhile, the pseudo-first-order rate constant, kL being 0.52 /ks with the R-2 being 0.807. Moreover, the Cu(II) adsorption isotherm followed the Langmuir model with the R-2 being 0.98, and the mono-layer adsorption capacity being approximately 0.964 mg/g. The Langmuir over-all adsorption capacity is approximately 2.788 L/mg.