Activated carbon from agricultural industry waste for use as an adsorbent of sulfamethazine: Fascinating and environmentally friendly process

Lignocellulosic wastes have garnered interest in activated carbon (AC) production owing to their abundance and cost-effectiveness. This research utilized coffee husk as a precursor for AC. The methodology involves impregnating the waste with varying proportions of phosphoric acid (H3PO4), 1:1 and 1:3 (mass(waste):mass(H3PO4)), and activation in a microwave oven, with different power and activation times. The N-2 adsorption/desorption results demonstrated high surface areas (SBET) for the ACs. The optimized AC (C1:3-1000-10) was obtained using a time of 10 min, high impregnation ratio, and power, resulting in an SBET of 1200 m(2) g(-1). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra confirmed the presence of functional groups, such as hydroxyl and ester, on the AC surface. Adsorption tests with sulfamethazine (SMZ) showed a 225 mg g(-1 )remotion capacity, highlighting the waste potential for sustainable and economical AC production. This underscores the importance of optimizing activation parameters to enhance performance and application versatility in AC production from lignocellulosic sources.