A new activated carbon prepared from cypress cones and its application in the COD reduction and colour removal from industrial textile effluent

A new activated carbon from local cypress cones (CCAC) was prepared using phosphoric acid as a chemical activating agent. It presented a Brunauer, Emmett and Teller surface area (SBET) equal to 379.5117 ± 2.3509 m2 g−1 with an amorphous nature. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed a heterogeneous and random shape of pores. The reduction in colour and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from the industrial aqueous effluent from the textile company “COTITEX” was the principal performance study of the resulting material. The kinetic data of the adsorption process obeyed a pseudo-second-order model with R2 of 0.988. From five studied parameters, only the initial COD concentration, the pH and the temperature influenced the COD reduction at equilibrium. Maximum COD and colour removal, respectively, 19% and 80.4% were recorded under optimal adsorption conditions of 2 g L−1 of the adsorbent amount, 323°K of operating temperature, pH = 11 and a stirring speed = 300 rpm. The present study showed that CCAC could be a proper material for coloured effluent treatment, whereas, for a better COD reduction, pretreatment is required.