REMOVAL OF COPPER(II) BY ADSORPTION ONTO PEANUT HULL CARBON FROM WATER AND COPPER PLATING INDUSTRY WASTE-WATER

Activated carbon prepared from peanut hull (PHC), an agricultural wast e by-product, has been used for the adsorption of Cu(II) from aqueous solution. The adsorption obeyed Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The appl icability of Lagergren kinetic model has also been investigated. Quant itative removal of Cu(II) from a solution containing 20 mg/L Cu(II) by 0.9 g PHC per litre was observed in the pH range 4.0 to 10.0. The sui tability of PHC for treating copper plating industry wastewater was al so testea. A comparative study with a coal based commercial granular a ctivated carbon (GAG) showed that the adsorption capacity (Q(o)) of PH C was 18 times larger than that of GAG.