Simultaneous removal of chloride and hardness from groundwater by cassava peel biosorption: Optimization and sorption studies

In this study, activated carbon produced from cassava peel (CP) via carbonization at 400degree celsius was utilized as a biosorbent for the removal of chloride (Cl-) and total hardness (TH) from groundwater. A response surface methodology (RSM) employing a Box-Behnken design (BBD) was implemented to optimize process parameters, including pH (3-10), biosorbent dosage (1-10 g), contact time (10-60 min), initial Cl- concentration (50-2000 mg/L), and initial TH concentration (40-900 mg/L). The biosorbent was applied in a batch reactor setup to evaluate its performance in removing Cl- and TH from groundwater under the optimized conditions. The experimental data showed good agreement with the model predictions, exhibiting R-2 of 0.991 and 0.905 for Cl- and TH removal, respectively. The CP biosorbent removed Cl- (245 mg/L) and TH (321 mg/L) by 84% and 90%, respectively, under optimal conditions of 6.9 g CP dose, 19.6 min, and initial pH of 8.1. The sorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order, and the equilibrium data fit the Freundlich and Langmuir models to Cl- and TH, respectively. The removal of Cl- and TH exhibited maximum adsorption capacities (qm) of 31.25 and 6.57 mg/g for Cl- and TH, respectively. Overall, CP shows potential as an adsorbent for remediating groundwater containing Cl(- )and TH.

Automated summary

In this study, activated carbon produced from cassava peel was used as a biosorbent to remove chloride and total hardness from groundwater. The process parameters were optimized using response surface methodology, and the experimental data showed good agreement with the model predictions. The cassava peel biosorbent exhibited good removal performance and potential for remediating groundwater.