Utilization of Peanut Shell Biomass for Effective Removal of Fluoride from Groundwater Using Pyrolytic Activated Carbon Synthesis

The harmful impacts of groundwater pollutants, specifically fluoride and nitrate, on human and animal health are widely recognised on a global scale. The rural regions possess a significant amount of agricultural waste biomass, which can be utilised to generate porous biochar through uncomplicated, eco-friendly, and economical techniques. The current investigation was proposed for the utilisation of Peanut shell biomass to produce active carbons through a uncomplicated pyrolytic process. The active carbons were then evaluated for their efficacy in adsorbing fluoride ions from groundwater samples obtained from the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, India. The production of amorphous porous activated carbon, or PSAC, was carried out through a pyrolytic process with alkaline stimulation and nitrogen flow, reaching a maximum temperature of 550°C. The resulting material exhibited a specific surface area of 479.569 m2/g and a micropore volume of 0.124 cm3/g. A range of spectrometric instruments, such as XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, BET, and pHzpc, were utilised to analyse and characterise the synthesised material. A study was conducted to investigate various adsorption parameters, adsorption isotherms, and kinetic studies through a batch experiment. The study on adsorption indicates that the PSAC demonstrated efficient elimination of fluoride from a solution containing water, exhibiting a sorption capacity of 7.75 mg/gm and 80% effectiveness in removal. The findings of the study on adsorption isotherms indicate that the Freundlich isotherm was the most suitable model for the equilibrium study, as evidenced by a linear regression value of 0.993. The kinetic data were analysed to assess the applicability of the pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order models, as well as the intra-particle diffusion concept. The kinetics investigation revealed that the process of adsorption was consistent with a pseudo-second order reaction. Consequently, it was anticipated that the investigation would enhance and augment the economic exploitation of peanut shell biomass for the purpose of water purification.