Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 21 No 5 (2017): 1045 - 1053

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/mjas-2017-2105-06

 

 

 

PREPARATION OF DATE SEED ACTIVATION FOR SURFACTANT RECOVERY

 

(Penyediaan Biji Kurma Teraktif Untuk Pemulihan Surfaktan)

 

Nurul’ Ain Binti Jamion^*, Nor Haziqah Binti Abd Hafiff, Nurul Huda Abd Halim,

Sheikh Ahmad Izzaddin Sheikh Mohd Ghazali, Jamil Mohamed Sapari

 

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences,

Universiti Teknologi MARA, 72000 Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author:  ain7059@ns.uitm.edu.my

 

 

Received: 16 August 2016; Accepted: 5 September 2017

 

 

Abstract

Surfactants also known as surface-active agents are one of the water pollutants that can lead to the deterioration of the environment. In this study, activated carbon was prepared from date seeds (DAC) by using phosphoric acid as an activating agent. The activation process was carried out at 500 °C for two hours. DAC was characterized by Fourier-Transformed Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and Nitrogen Adsorption at 77 K. The BET surface area of DAC was 1187 m²/g. The adsorption capacities of surfactants (CTAB and TX-100) were determined. This study showed that the adsorption capacity of CTAB (23.0724 mg/g) onto DAC was greater than TX-100 (11.3868 mg/g). The adsorption process between both surfactants onto DAC was done by physisorption through electrostatic forces. Thus, this study showed that the date seeds have a greater tendency to be microporous activated carbon and an adsorbent for surfactants recovery. 

 

Keywords:  activated carbon, phosphoric acid, date seed

 

Abstrak

Bahan aktif permukaan juga dikenali sebagai surfaktan adalah salah satu bahan pencemar air yang boleh membawa kepada kemerosotan alam sekitar. Dalam kajian ini, karbon teraktif telah disediakan daripada biji kurma (DAC) dengan menggunakan asid fosforik sebagai ejen pengaktifan. Proses pengaktifan telah dilakukan pada suhu 500 °C selama dua jam. Karbon teraktif (DAC) telah dicirikan oleh Spektroskopi Inframerah Transformasi Fourier (FTIR), Mikroskopi Medan Pancaran Imbasan Elektron (FESEM), Sebaran Tenaga Sinar-X (EDX) dan penjerapan gas nitrogen pada suhu 77 K. Luas permukaan BET kawasan DAC adalah 1187 m²/g.  Kapasiti penjerapan surfaktan (CTAB dan TX-100) telah dikaji. Kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa kapasiti penjerapan CTAB (23.0724 mg/g)  pada DAC adalah lebih tinggi daripada TX-100 (11.3868 mg/g). Proses penjerapan antara bagi kedua-dua surfaktan DAC adalah secara penjerapan fizikal melalui daya elektrostatik. Oleh itu, kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa biji kurma mempunyai kecenderungan yang lebih besar sebagai karbon teraktif berliang mikro dan bahan penjerap yang baik untuk pemulihan surfaktan. 

 

Kata kunci:  karbon teraktif, asid fosforik, biji kurma

 

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