Inexpensive Adsorbents Derived from Coffee Grounds for the Treatment of Wastewater

ABSTRACTThe adsorption of aqueous monuron and metals by coffee waste as a low-cost material is reported using batch experiments. Coffee waste with minimal processing and coffee waste pyrolyzed at 500°C were used for the adsorption of monuron. For metals, only the unpyrolyzed coffee waste was used. Monuron was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection, and metals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The specific surface areas of the adsorbent materials were calculated using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller equation. The removal rates of monuron and metals were determined quantitatively.