Authors: Enas N. Mahmoud | Rafea Naffa | Khalil Ibrahim | Sawsan Jaafreh | Manal H. Al-Bzour | Abdallah Abuferweh
Source: International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics (article, 2025-01-31)
Field: Chemistry — Analytical Chemistry

Removal of Pesticides from Aqueous Solutions Using Activated Carbon Derived from Jordanian Jift The widespread use of pesticides has led to significant contamination of both surface and groundwater, emerging as a critical environmental issue in recent years.One common method to remove pesticides from aqueous solutions is the adsorption process utilizing activated carbon.Here, the olive oil pomace (locally known as Jift) was used to prepare the activated carbon.The ability of the activated carbon prepared from Jift (ACJ) to remove several pesticides, including Metalaxyl, Imidacloprid, Methomyl, and Paraquat Dichloride, from aqueous solution was then investigated.The Jift was roasted and then activated by CO2 at 800.ACJ was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope, which shows that the pores in ACJ are mostly micropores.The specific surface area of ACJ and clay Jordanian minerals (Zeolite and Bentonite) was calculated using Methylene Blue (MB).Among these adsorbents, ACJ has the highest specific surface area (561.1 m 2 /g), making it a promising adsorbent for pesticide removal.The uptake of pesticides using ACJ was compared with that of Zeolite and Bentonite.ACJ showed a high ability to remove all four pesticides, while Zeolite and Bentonite were only able to remove Paraquat Dichloride.The experimental data derived from the equilibrium adsorption isotherm were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich models.The results indicated that the Langmuir model provided a superior fit to the data for the four pesticides, as evidenced by a high correlation coefficient (R 2 > 0.95) compared to the Freundlich model.Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity (qm) were 277.30, 233.97, 119.71, and 74.94 mg/g for Methomyl, Imidacloprid, Metalaxyl, and Paraquat Dichloride, respectively.The Freundlich model was fitted only to the data for Methomyl and Imidacloprid (R 2 > 0.96).The heterogeneity factor (1/n) values for the two pesticides are less than unity, indicating a favorable adsorption process, and an increase in adsorption capacity.That explains why qm of Methomyl and Imidacloprid were significantly higher than those of the other pesticides.The nature of the adsorption process was favorable for all four pesticides, as indicated by the estimated values of the Langmuir isotherm equilibrium parameter (RL), which fell within the range of 0 < RL < 1.Two kinetic models (pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order) were used to assess the adsorption kinetic data.The pseudo-second-order model provided a better representation of the adsorption kinetics (R 2 > 0.97), which indicates that the adsorption process follows a chemisorption mechanism.These results demonstrate the potential of ACJ as an effective adsorbent for removing pesticides in water treatment applications. Pesticide ; Activated carbon ; Aqueous solution ; Carbon fibers ; Environmental chemistry ; Environmental science ; Chemistry ; Waste management ; Engineering ; Mathematics ; Biology ; Adsorption ; Ecology ; Organic chemistry ; Algorithm Analytical chemistry methods development ; Pesticide and Herbicide Environmental Studies ; Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity