Dual Functions of Nonwoven Activated Carbon Fiber for Adsorption of Cobalt(II) and Microorganisms from Waste Water

Activated carbon fiber (ACF) is considered a superior absorbent material due to its numerous advantages such as, high surface area, several pore volumes and distinct surface chemistry. ACF has the ability to remove organic and inorganic compounds from waste materials. The present work aims to prepare activated carbon fiber from polyacrylonitrile waste fibers and evaluate its ability to remove Co(II) from waste water. The results revealed that, the maximum adsorption of Co(II) onto ACF was 92.9 % at pH 10 and 30 ◦C. The sorption capacity of ACF increased with increasing the pH of the solution from 1.27 mg/g to 44.4 mg/g. Increasing the adsorption time from 10 minutes to 60 minutes increased the sorption capacity from 38.77 mg/g to 44.41 mg/g. The statistical analysis of the data revealed that there is a significant effect for both pH of the soution and time adsorption. The pathogenic microorganisms such as E. coli, P. aeroginos, B. subtilis, St. aureus, and C. albicans were efficiently removed by ACF. The characterization of surface chemistry of ACF before and after Co(II) adsorption was determined by FTIR and the surface topography was evaluated by SEM.