M.T. BASHIR, S. ALI. AZNI AND R. HARUN
Abstract
Nitrate in drinking water poses serious health issues in many countries. In this study, a novel low-cost bioadsorbent was prepared by chemically modifying palm kernel shells. Nitrate removal by the adsorbent was studied for a range of pH, nitrate concentrations, and temperatures. Based on goodness-off it to observe adsorption data, the Red lich-Peterson isotherm model provided a better description of nitrate adsorption than did the Langmuir and Freund lich isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity observed was 54.18 mg/g. A pseudo-second order model was superior to a pseudo-first order model in describing the kinetics of the adsorption reaction, suggesting the dominance of chemisorption. The adsorbent can effectively remove nitrate across a wide range of pH (4-8) and temperature (20-40oC). Scanning Electron Microscope, Electron Dispersive X-Ray and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) provided evidence of the chemical modifications made to the palm kernel shell and the subsequent adsorption of nitrate.