Potential of Water Hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) Activated Carbon as Adsorbent for Heavy Metal Pb in Wastewater of Hapsah Hospital Bone Regency

Abstrak

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a promising biomass-derived adsorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous systems. Its high cellulose (60%), hemicellulose (8%), and lignin (17%) contents provide abundant functional groups that can interact with metal ions. This study investigated the potential of water hyacinth-derived activated carbon for Pb(II) removal from wastewater generated by Hapsah Hospital, Bone Regency. The study evaluated the initial and residual Pb concentrations following adsorption and characterized the activated carbon before and after adsorption using physicochemical analyses. The activated carbon was prepared from water hyacinth, chemically activated with 10% ZnCl2, characterized, and subsequently applied to hospital wastewater. The initial Pb concentration in the wastewater was 0.68 mg/L. The highest removal efficiency under the investigated conditions was obtained at a contact time of 20 min and an adsorbent mass of 2 g. Under these optimum conditions, the Pb concentration decreased to 0.12 mg/L, corresponding to a removal efficiency of 82.35% and an adsorption capacity of 0.0280 mg/g. FTIR analysis indicated only minor changes in the characteristic functional groups after Pb adsorption, suggesting the involvement of oxygen-containing surface groups in the adsorption process. Overall, the results demonstrate the potential of ZnCl2-activated water hyacinth carbon as a low-cost biomass-derived adsorbent for Pb removal from hospital wastewater.

Kata kunci

• Activated carbon
• Adsorption
• Water Hyacinth
• lead (Pb)