Activated Carbon from Manufacturing of Grass Jelly Dessert as Efficient Adsorbent in Removing Ibuprofen from Aqueous Solution

Abstract

This study utilized waste from grass jelly dessert industry to prepare activated carbon with a porous structure that effectively removes ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, from wastewater. The activated carbon was chemically activated with ZnCl₂ and pyrolyzed at temperatures from 400 to 700 °C for 1 h. The activated carbon prepared at 600 °C exhibited the highest specific surface area of 711 m²/g and total pore volume of 0.51 cm³/g. Batch adsorption experiments determined that the highest removal efficiency of ibuprofen was obtained at a contact time of 120 min, acidic conditions (pH = 2), and a temperature of 25 °C. Under these conditions, the activated carbon had a high ibuprofen adsorption capacity of 561.09 mg/g. Kinetic studies indicated that adsorption followed the pseudo-second order. Equilibrium isotherm data were best described by the Sips model, which suggested a combined adsorption mechanism. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed that ibuprofen adsorption was exothermic and spontaneous. These results indicate that ZnCl₂-treated grass jelly tree residue activated carbon may serve as a promising adsorbent for ibuprofen removal from aqueous media.