Rethinasamy Geetha, Kunjithapatham Raghu, Gopal Vani, Kittappa Gunasundari and Thennarasi Deivanayagam
Abstract
Reduction of the COD as well as treatment of polluted water around cement industrial sites from Ariyalur district using AC (activated carbon) produced from stems, roots and leaves of Leucas Aspera was investigated. The required parts of Leucas aspera collected, in and around Ariyalur district were dried in sunlight and then charred in furnace at around 300 to 400 oC. The carbonized material was activated with acid to produce activated carbon. The adsorption of pollutants and the reduction of COD was carried out at 28 oC. Experimental data correlation was carried out utilizing Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. With optimum pH of 7 and 60 min as break through time, the process of fixed bed adsorption was carried out. The COD exhibited by the pollutants was found to get reduced from 214 mg/l to 188.8 mg/l by SAC, 201.6 mg/l by LAC and 192 mg/l by RAC in 60 min. The observed results revealed that the activated carbons produced from Leucas Aspera plant parts could reduce the C.O.D by removing organic contaminants of industrial effluent of cement factories.