Preparation and Characterisation of Activated Carbon from Rice Husk and its Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) Composite for Heavy Metal Removal from Simulated Wastewater

Abstract Removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater is of importance due to rapid increase in global industrial activities. This investigation deals with the preparation of adsorbent activated carbon from agricultural waste material such as coconut shell, orange peel, rice husk, peanut husk and sawdust to remove heavy metals from wastewater. The abundance and availability of rice husk, an agricultural waste, make them as a good source for precursor of activated carbon. Hence, rice husk based activated carbon was prepared via carbonisation followed by chemical activation treatment process. The composite was prepared by blending Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) with prepared activated carbon. The activated carbon and the composites of PVP/activated carbon were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD) and the pore structure was evaluated through morphology analysis using high resolution scanning electron microscope (HRSEM). Keywords: Rice Husk, Activated Carbon, Blending technique, Polymer Composite Cite this Article Aswini K, Jaisankar V. Preparation and Characterisation of Activated Carbon from Rice Husk and its Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) Composite for Heavy Metal Removal from simulated Wastewater. Journal of Water Pollution & Purification Research. 2017; 4(3): 10–15p.