Development of High-performance Activated Carbon Derived from Longan Peel for Caffeine Removal in Ion-rich Hospital Wastewater
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Abstract
This study presents the development of activated carbon derived from longan peel (LPAC) as an efficient and low-cost adsorbent for the removal of caffeine (CAF) from synthetic hospital wastewater. Longan peel was carbonized and chemically activated at 600 °C and 700 °C, producing LPAC-600 and LPAC-700, respectively. The structural, textural, and functional properties of the adsorbents were characterized using XRD, FTIR, N₂ adsorption–desorption analysis, and SEM. The results indicated that increasing the activation temperature significantly enhanced surface area, pore volume, and graphitic carbon structure, with LPAC-700 exhibiting the highest BET surface area (1401.8 m²/g) and mesoporosity. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated that LPAC-700 achieved superior CAF removal compared to LPAC-600 in both deionized water and synthetic hospital wastewater, although ion-rich conditions reduced removal efficiency due to competitive adsorption. The optimal adsorbent dosage was 0.3 g/L, yielding up to 94.23% CAF removal at an initial concentration of 100 ppm. Solution pH strongly influenced adsorption, with maximum removal at pH 7, attributed to favorable π–π interactions and hydrogen bonding. These findings confirm that LPAC-700 is a promising bio-derived adsorbent for caffeine removal in complex wastewater systems.
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