Preparation and Characterization of Antibacterial Copper Doped Activated Carbon from Coconut Coir and its Application in Removal of Hardness and Fluoride in Drinking Water

Abstract

Activated Carbon (AC) is a promising material that can effect ively purify and enhance the quality of drinking water. Metal doped A C nanohybrids have received a high scientific interest due to their synerg istic 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 chem. reduction method. The successful formation of zero-valent Cu nanoparticles in the Cu-ACC nanohybrid was confirmed using the phase anal. 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 2p / ) and 952.9 eV (Cu 2p / ) and there were no shakeup satellite peaks for Cu O. The presence of 873 cm peak in the Fourier Transform IR Spectrum corresponding to the vibrational frequency of Cu-O bond also confirms the successful impregnation of Cu in the Cu-ACC. The SEM imaging/EDX confirms the porous nature of Cu-ACC and the presence of Cu in the sample. The high-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy anal. further confirms the at. 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 condit ions. 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