Funcionalización de carbón activado con nano partículas de cobre para la adsorción de Arsénico en aguas provenientes de la parroquia “Toacaso” Latacunga mediante una columna de lecho fijo

Abstract

Water pollution by toxic elements such as arsenic is crucial today due to increasing demand for consumption. This research aimed to functionalize activated carbon with copper nanoparticles for arsenic adsorption in water from the "Toacaso" parish, Latacunga, using a fixed-bed column as a viable alternative for arsenic reduction in water. The study began with a literature review to establish the research's starting point. Activated carbon was functionalized with copper nanoparticles to serve as an adsorbent material in a fixed-bed column, allowing determination of adsorption parameters for real-scale application. Hydrothermal treatment at 400°C facilitated the incorporation of nanoparticles into the activated carbon's nano architecture, confirmed by scanning electron microscopy analysis. Arsenic adsorption levels were evaluated by passing a 10 ppm arsenic contamination through a fixed-bed column with 20 liters of water, yielding breakthrough adsorption curves with stationary removal efficiency of 97.59% and dynamic removal of 34.37%. Different models, such as the Double Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models, were applied to analyze the breakthrough curve, resulting in constants: kTH1 x104 = 0.00715 mL min-1 mg-1, kTH2 x104 = 0.00731 mL min-1 mg-1 for the Double Thomas model, and kYN = 0.2 H-1 for the Yoon-Nelson model. The material demonstrated rapid surface adsorption, achieving 50% arsenic concentration reduction in under 2 hours and 80% in 2.5 hours. It is advisable to use personal protective equipment when handling nanomaterials.