International Journal of Education, Science and Social Sciences

Original Articles

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026)

Eco-Friendly Adsorbents for Removal of Heavy Metals and Rhodamine B Using Activated Rice Husk, Coconut Shell and Modified Clay

Published
2026-05-27

Abstract

Access to clean and safe drinking water requires effective filtration technologies. In the recent past, green adsorbents have gained attention as sustainable alternatives to conventional ones because they are derived from abundant, renewable, and naturally occurring materials or waste products. This study, therefore, investigated the preparation and application of activated rice husk charcoal (ARC), activated coconut shell charcoal (ACC), and acid-modified clay soil (ACS) as biosorbents for the removal of Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ ions, and rhodamine B (RB) dye from water. The adsorbents were characterized using FTIR, XRD, XRF, TEM, and BET before adsorption studies. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of solution pH, temperature, contact time, particle size, and adsorbent dosage. Residual metal concentrations were quantified using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), achieving maximum removal efficiencies of 95%, 93% and 90% in ARC, 93%, 89% and 86% in ACC and 87%, 86% and 81% in ACS for Pb2+, Cu2+ and Co2+, respectively. For RB, 93%, 89% and 85% were achieved correspondingly by ARC, ACC and ACS, implying highest adsorption efficiency exhibited by ARC under the studied conditions. Metal ions removal was optimal at pH 6, whereas RB dye was highly adsorbed at pH 4. Overall, ARC, ACC, and ACS demonstrated significant potential as eco-friendly adsorbents for the elimination of heavy metals and dyes from wastewater.

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