TITLE:
Acacia etbaica as a Potential Low-Cost Adsorbent for Removal of Organochlorine Pesticides from Water
AUTHORS:
Abraha Gebrekidan, Mekonen Teferi, Tsehaye Asmelash, Kindeya Gebrehiwet, Amanual Hadera, Kassa Amare, Jozef Deckers, Bart Van Der Bruggen
KEYWORDS:
Acacia etbaica, Activated Carbon, Organochlorine Pesticides, Adsorption, Water Purification
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.7 No.3,
February
27,
2015
ABSTRACT: The
presence of pesticides in the environment is of great concern due to their
persistent nature and chronic adverse effect on human health and the
environment. Water bodies are subject to pollution by organochlorine
pesticides, especially in developing countries, where water pollution is a key
sustainability challenge. Hence, activated carbon is considered a universal
adsorbent for the removal of organochlorine pollutants from water. Activated
carbon from Acatia etbaica was
prepared using traditional kilns with low investment costs. Pesticides such as
aldrin, dieldrin and DDT were selected for adsorption because of their common
usage in agricultural and malaria control activities and may occur in high
concentrations in surface waters that are used as drinking water sources. The
effect of the adsorbent dose and initial concentration were investigated. To
describe the equilibrium isotherms the experimental data were analyzed by the
Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The Freundlich model gave the best correlation
with the experimental data. Activated carbon prepared from Acacia etbaica was found to be an effective and low-cost
alternative for the removal of organochlorine pesticides from aqueous
solutions. The preparation method allows the use of this material by local
communities for effective remediation of pollution by pesticides.