Sustainable Water Purification Using Activated Carbon Synthesized from Lignin

The progressive pollution of water resources by industrial effluents, toxic dyes, and other emerging pollutants has become a critical worldwide environmental challenge. Therefore, considerable research attention has been focused on the preparation of renewable and sustainable ecofriendly adsorbents for efficient water purification. This study, explore the production of activated carbon from waste lignin, as an abundant by product of paper and pulp industry and its application as sustainable adsorbent in the purification of contaminated water. Waste lignin was subjected to demineralisation and subsequently air -activation at 450°C to produce a porous adsorbent. The prepared activated carbon was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, and adsorption potential. The isotherm displayed Type I isotherms, demonstrating microporous structure in the prepared sample. The surface area and total pore volume are achieved in this work are 688 m²/g and 0.3077 cm3/g, respectively. The prepared sample have two main broad peaks appeared at around 2θ = 23° and 43°, which correspond to the (002) and (10) planes, respectively. These features are characteristic of typical AC structures. The adsorption efficiency of prepared activated carbon was assessed for the removal of methylene blue. The conversion of the lignin into activated carbon decreases waste disposal necessities and reduces the environmental burdens related with industrial residues. The implementation of such sustainable technologies can significantly enhance water quality, while advancing the resource recovery, environmental protection, and evaluating the performance of lignin-based activated carbon in real wastewater treatment systems.