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ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Abstract

The increase in global natural rubber production has correspondingly elevated the generation of wastewater. To address this, various wastewater treatment methods are being implemented, with continuous adsorption emerging as a promising approach. In this recent study, pelletizing of attapulgite/carbon nanocomposite was conducted to obtain pellet adsorbent for continuous adsorption of wastewater from natural rubber industry. The study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and performance of the pellet adsorbent in wastewater treatment. In the preparation, spent bleaching earth (SBE) with a 200-mesh particle size was calcined to obtain attapulgite/carbon nanocomposite. This nanocomposite was mixed with bentonite clay at a 70:30 (w/w) ratio to form pellets, which were subsequently calcined at various temperatures (500°C, 600 °C and 700°C) for 1 h to obtain pellet adsorbent. The attapulgite/carbon nanocomposite and pellet adsorbent were characterized using TEM, SEM-EDX and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses. SEM-EDX analysis results indicated that the pellet adsorbent possessed larger pores and channels, along with reduced Si and O content compared to attapulgite/carbon nanocomposite. Pellet adsorbent calcined at 700°C gave the highest performance and successfully achieved 89.65% removal of total suspended solid (TSS), 70.65% reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD), and an effluent pH of 7.2 within 5 min in the continuous adsorption. The pellet adsorbent calcined at 700°C was identified as mesoporous materials with average pore size of 3.48 nm.

Keywords

Natural Rubber Wastewater, Spent Bleaching Earth (SBE), Attapulgite/Carbon Nanocomposite, Pellet Adsorbent, Continuous Adsorption.

Publication Date

2024

Received Date

30/08/2024

Revised Date

13/11/2024

Accepted Date

17/11/2024

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