TITLE:
Adsorption of Congo Red in Aqueous Solution on Activated Carbon Prepared from the Bark of the Asparagus Palm (Laccosperma robustum)
AUTHORS:
Adam Bouraïma, Albert Novy Messi Me Ndong, Crislain Bissielou, Phil Lewis Mpampoungou Langama, Jean-Jacques Anguile
KEYWORDS:
Adsorption, Congo Red, Activated Carbon, Laccosperma robustum
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.16 No.11,
November
7,
2025
ABSTRACT: This study focused on the adsorption of Congo Red (CR) in aqueous solution by activated carbons (AC) prepared from the bark of the asparagus palm (Laccosperma robustum) through chemical activation with phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and potassium hydroxide (KOH). The experiments were carried out in batch mode. Adsorption parameters such as stirring time, AC mass, solution pH, and initial RC concentration were studied. The adsorption isotherm and kinetics were also studied. This study showed that the optimal adsorption conditions were 15 and 25 minutes for CAK and CAP stirring times, respectively, a mass of 0.05 g, and a pH of 2 for both CA. The maximum RC adsorption quantities were 34.34 mg/g for CAP and 38.90 mg/g for CAK for a concentration of 100 mg/L each. The Freundlich and Temkin isotherms best describe the RC adsorption process on CAP and CAK. The pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich kinetic models best describe the adsorption kinetics of CR on PAC. Meanwhile, the pseudo-second-order and Elovich models best describe the adsorption kinetics of CR on PAC. The results obtained showed that activated carbons were effective for the adsorption of CR in aqueous solution.