Activated Carbon (AC) is a promising material that can effectively purify and enhance the quality of drinking water. Metal doped AC nanohybrids have received a high scientific interest due to their synergistic effect on both metal dopant and the activated carbon material. In this study, Copper nanoparticles doped activated carbon (Cu-ACC) is synthesized from coconut coir by a novel in-situ chemical reduction method. The successful formation of zero-valent Cu nanoparticles in the Cu-ACC nanohybrid was confirmed using the phase analysis in Powder X-ray Diffraction. Further, the Cu 2p peak in X-ray Photoelectron Spectrum (XPS) of the Cu-ACC composite shows a sharp doublet at 932.7 eV (Cu 2p3/2) and 952.9 eV (Cu 2p1/2) and there were no shakeup satellite peaks for CuO. The presence of 873 cm-1 peak in the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrum corresponding to the vibrational frequency of Cu-O bond also confirms the successful impregnation of Cu in the Cu-ACC. The Scanning Electron Microscopy imaging/EDX confirms the porous nature of Cu-ACC and the presence of Cu in the sample. The high-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy analysis further confirms the atomic interaction with carbon and the AC matrix. The prepared Cu-ACC was tested for the removal of hardness and fluoride in drinking water under both static and dynamic conditions. There was a significant improvement in hardness (65%, 1000 ppm initial) and fluoride (60%, 2 ppm initial) removal under dynamic conditions with the usage of 100 mg dosage of Cu-ACC. The resulting Cu-ACC further demonstrates an enhanced antimicrobial activity against three commonly found water pathogens; Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Shigella flexneri. Thus, the prepared Cu-ACC nanohybrids with antimicrobial properties can be used as a multi-functioning nanomaterial for the treatment of drinking water.

Preparation and characterization of antibacterial copper doped activated carbon from coconut coir and its application in removal of hardness and fluoride in drinking water

ACS Fall 2021

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