Activated Carbon prepared from ridge gourd peels as a novel adsorbent for removal of cephalexin from wastewater

Abstract Ride gourd peels were used to prepare activated carbon (RGAC) by zinc chloride activation. In order to remove Cephalexin (CFX) from aqueous solution, the RGAC was utilized as an adsorbent. CFX being an antibiotic pollutant which can cause hormonal changes in living organisms on long-term consumption, needs immediate attention in its removal specially from aquatic environment. It was discovered that RGAC could potentially remove CFX. The RGAC's highly porous structure and uneven surface were discovered by scanning electron microscopy. The excellent adsorption capacity of RGAC was aided by its large surface area − 945.857 m2/g and middling pore size − 1.7 nm. The maximal CFX adsorption capacity of RGAC was determined to be 37.56 mg/g. The highest connection between the theoretical and experimental data was found for the Langmuir isotherm at 25 oC (R2 = 0.9647), which suggests monolayer adsorption. The experimental findings are well-matched by the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. Fourier transform infrared analysis proved the existence of zinc comprising groups, C-H, C-O, C = O and C = C functional groups on the facade of RGAC. A negative surface charge was indicated by zeta potential analysis. The usage of RGAC as an adsorbent for CFX removal is investigated in this study which is first of its kind in this field.