ECO-FRIENDLY PHENOL REMOVAL USING ACTIVATED BIOCHAR FROM RICE HUSK, SUGAR CANE, AND PEANUT SHELLS.

This study investigates the optimization of removal of phenol concentration from wastewater using activated biochar and Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Peanut shell activated biochar (PSAB), rice husk activated biochar (RHAB) and sugar cane activated biochar (SCAB) are used for phenol removal from wastewater. The focus was on identifying the optimal conditions for each activated biochar to achieve maximum phenol removal efficiency. Parameters such as pH, does of biochar and contact time were varied systematically to assess their impact on the removal process. The peanut shell biochar generally shows 97.36% at pH 8, 1.75 grams of biochar does, and 37.5 minutes of shaking time. Sugar cane biochar demonstrates moderate performance, with removal percentages peaking at 86.76% at pH 8, a lower biochar dose, and a longer contact time of 60 minutes. Rice husk biochar consistently achieves high phenol removal rates as compared to PSAB and RHAB, with maximum effectiveness at 99.24% under similar conditions but with an initial pH of 4 and a slightly higher biochar dose of 3 grams. These findings highlight the critical influence of operational parameters on the effectiveness of phenol removal using different activated biochars.