Advancing cobalt ferrite-supported activated carbon from orange peels for real pulp and paper mill wastewater treatment

The utilization of agriculture waste-based adsorbents in the treatment of real industrial wastewater represents an unexplored frontier with significant potential. In this study, the cobalt ferrite-supported activated carbon derived from orange peels (CF40-AC) was used as a magnetic adsorbent for the treatment of real pulp and paper mill effluent (PPME). Detailed insights into the properties and functionalities of the CoFe2O4-AC adsorbent were obtained through an accurate characterization analysis that included X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), BET and pore size histogram techniques. Both pure activated carbon (AC) and CF40-AC displayed excellent textural properties with surface area (SBET) equal 2014 and 1345 m2.g-1, respectively. TEM and SEM images display that the magnetic ferrites were well dispersed on the surface of AC. Following the characterization process, the CoFe2O4-AC adsorbent was evaluated for its ability to remove several key pollutants from PPME, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS) and turbidity. Moreover, various operational parameters, such as pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and stirring rate, were investigated to achieve optimal contaminants removal rates. Remarkably, the CoFe2O4-AC adsorbent demonstrated highly efficient removal rates, with 86.9%, 59,9% and 93.1% for COD, TDS and turbidity, respectively, under optimal conditions (pH 7, adsorbent dose 0.4 gm, contact time 60 min, and stirring rate 150 rpm). The CoFe2O4-AC composite material exhibits promising potential for multiple applications reached 5 cycles without a significant loss in its adsorption or functional properties over successive uses. These results favor the promising potential of CoFe2O4-AC as a sustainable and efficient solution for addressing wastewater treatment challenges in the pulp and paper industry, contributing to both environmental protection and resource conservation.