Characterization of Sugarcane Bagasse and Moringa Oleifera as Potential Adsorbent for the Treatment of Wastewater containing Heavy Metals

Activated carbon from sugarcane bagasse and moringa oleifera were prepared and their textural properties were evaluated using Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The chemical composition of sugarcane bagasse and moringa oleifera was determine with the aid of X- ray fluorescence (XRF) while the surface area, micropore volume and total pore volume were estimated with the aid of structural characterization (SCAC) software using the iodine value and methylene blue number as the input parameters. The calculated iodine value and methylene blue value of sugarcane bagasse was 24.56mg/g and 2.27g/100g while for moringa oleifera, it was 29.48mg/g and 3.02g/100g. Based on these values, the surface area and total pore volume of sugarcane bagasse was estimated as 234m^2/g and 0.14cm^3/g, for moringa oleifera it was 277.4m^2/g and 0.21cm^3/g. Results of the textural analysis revealed the presence of O-H stretching (which is the site for adsorption) in both the sugarcane bagasse and moringa oleifera. In addition, significant morphological differences were observed between the sugarcane bagasse and moringa oleifera with moringa oleifera exhibiting better irregular and porous surface characteristics of different lamellae sizes.