Assessment of Sawdust-Activated Carbon for Heavy Metal Removal from Domestic Wastewater

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution in domestic wastewater poses a significant threat to environmental and human health. This study investigated the effectiveness of sawdust-activated carbon (SDAC), produced from three locally sourced sawdust, in removing heavy metals from domestic wastewater. Batch experiments were conducted at varying adsorbent dosages (5g/L, 10g/L, and 15g/L) to evaluate the adsorption capacities of the different SDAC samples for heavy metals, including copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn). The SEM images of the SDAC samples revealed a porous, flaky structure with significant surface area, indicating their potential for effective adsorption. The results revealed that SDAC 2 achieved a 14% reduction in Cu concentration at the optimal 10g dosage, while SDAC 3 achieved a 16.7% reduction in Cr concentration at the same dosage. SDAC 1 and SDAC 2 both achieved 100% removal of Cd at the 5g and 15g dosages. SDAC 3 showed a 33.6% reduction in Fe concentration at 5g dosage, SDAC 1 reduced Mn concentration by 40.6% at 5g dosage, and SDAC 3 achieved a 9.2% reduction in Zn concentration at 10g dosage. The study demonstrated variations in heavy metal removal efficiencies across different SDAC types and dosages and emphasized the need for optimization and further research.