Synthesis of Adsorbent Materials from Vetiver Grass for Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Vetiver grass has been widely used for soil erosion control and runoff protection. The present work provided an alternative application of vetiver grass as adsorbent materials for wastewater treatment. The adsorbent materials was synthesised in two different methods. The absorbent 1 was synthesized by heating the vetiver grass at 300C. In the meanwhile, the adsorbent 2 was synthesized by heating at 750C and adding some chemicals (such as TPABr and NaOH). The XRD patterns suggested that the adsorbent 1 could be activated carbon. On the other hands, the adsorbent 2 was unidentified materials. Both adsorbents were able to treat dye wastewater with >99% of effectively. This performance is greater than using a commercial activated carbon. However, at the highest wastewater concentration, the adsorbent 1 obtained the better efficiency rather than the adsorbent 2.