ARGAN SHELL - DERIVED CARBON MATERIAL AS AN EFFICIENT SORBENT FOR TOXIC METAL REMOVAL FROM WATER SAMPLES

Abstract

Carbon - based materials derived from waste biomass have attracted attention in water treatment applications due to their porous structure, high surface area, and sustainability. In this study, an activated carbon produced from argan shell biomass, an abundant, low - cost byproduct of the Moroccan Argania spinosa tree, was evaluated for the removal of toxic heavy metals from wastewater. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated that solution pH was an important parameter governing uptake performance. Near - neutral conditions enabled simultaneous and efficient removal of Pb (II), Zn (II), and Cu (II), achieving metal ions sorption of about 90 - 100 % within contact time of 40 min. Under strong acidic conditions (pH 1), metal uptake was inhibited due to surface protonation and competition
from excess H⁺ ions. At mildly alkaline conditions (pH 9), Pb (II) removal remained consistently high, whereas Zn (II) and Cu (II) removal decreased significantly. These findings identify pH 7.0 as the optimized operational parameter for effective and simultaneous removal of Pb (II), Zn (II), and Cu (II).