Adsorption of Nickel Ii Ion on Chemically Activated Rice Husk

Student: Pheobian Oluwafunmilayo Ali (Project, 2025)
Department of Chemistry
University of Ilorin, Kwara State

Abstract

ABSTRACT The increasing contamination of water bodies by heavy metals, particularly nickel, presents serious environmental and health challenges. This study investigates the potential of chemically activated rice husk as an efficient and low-cost adsorbent for the removal of Nickel(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Rice husk, an abundant agricultural by-product, was subjected to acid washing, carbonization at 450ꢀ°C, and chemical activation using sodium carbonate. Characterization of the activated carbon was conducted using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), which revealed functional groups such as hydroxyl, carbonyl, and aromatic structures crucial for metal binding. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out under varying conditions of adsorbent dosage, initial nickel concentration, and contact time. The results indicated that nickel removal efficiency increased with adsorbent dosage and contact time, reaching an optimal removal of 99.93% at 0.5ꢀg dosage and 60 minutes contact time. Maximum adsorption occurred at 400ꢀppm initial concentration, beyond which equilibrium was reached. The high removal efficiency observed demonstrates that chemically activated rice husk is a viable and sustainable material for nickel ion adsorption, offering an eco- friendly approach to wastewater treatment.

Keywords
adsorption nickel chemically activated
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