Preparation and Application of a Novel Functionalized Coconut Coir Pith as a Recyclable Adsorbent for Phosphate Removal

Abstract

This study was to develop a new adsorbent, Iron(III) complex of an amino-functionalized polyacrylamide-grafted coconut coir pith (CP), a lignocellulosic residue, for the removal of phosphate from water and wastewater. The kinetics of adsorption follows a pseudo-second-order model. The equilibrium sorption capacity of 96.31 mg/g was determined at 30°C from the Langmuir isotherm equation. Complete removal of 16.4 mg/L phosphate in 1 L of fertilizer industry wastewater was achieved by 1.5 g/L AM-Fe-PGCP at pH 6.0. The acid treatment (0.1 M HCl) and re-introduction of Fe³⁺ lead to a reactivation of the spent adsorbent and can be reused through many cycles of water treatment and regeneration without any loss in the adsorption capacity.