Eco-friendly removal of methyl tert-butyl ether from contaminated water using steam and CO2-activated carbons

Abstract

Petrol frequently contains the additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). Because of its significant health risks, MTBE pollution of surface and ground water is a severe concern for the environment. Highly porous physically activated carbons, particularly CO 2 -activated carbon (CO 2 -AC) and steam-activated carbon (Steam-AC), were obtained from date stones as potential eco-friendly adsorbents for MTBE from contaminated water. The chemical composition, microstructure, textural, and structural characteristics of adsorbents were characterised by elemental analysis, SEM, N 2 sorption, XRD, and FTIR. The adsorption process evaluation based on the initial MTBE concentration, liquid-to-solid ratio, and equilibrium contact time. CO 2 -AC and steam-AC adsorbents have high surface areas of 819.5 m 2 /g, and 567.7 m 2 /g, respectively. At 40 °C, CO 2 -AC has an adsorption capability of 181.36 mg/g. The adsorption result was best fitted by the Freundlich model. The two-step intraparticle diffusion process prevailed the adsorption process, and the pseudo-second-order model presented an optimal fit for the adsorption kinetics models. Spontaneous physical adsorption was endothermic when CO 2 -AC adsorbs at 40 °C because ∆ G was − 6.34 kJ/mol. Finally, the water quality improved and the salt content, the alkalinity, and the hardness decreased with the use of CO 2 -AC as an environmentally friendly adsorbent for removing MTBE from the polluted water.

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