Removal of cadmium ion from aqueous solution using plant-based anionic surfactant impregnated activated carbon

Activated carbon is modified by impregnating it with sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (SLSA), a plant-based anionic surfactant and tested to determine whether the surfactant will increase the effectiveness of cadmium ion removal from aqueous solution of cadmium chloride (CdCl₂) by activated carbon. The activated carbon used is industrial grade granular type tested without grinded or sieved. The surfactant preparation and the impregnation were done at 60°C. The heavy metal removal test conducted at 30°C to mimic normal weather temperature of Malaysia. The granular activated carbon was characterized using BET (Brunauer-Emmet-Teller) while the surfactant chemical properties analyzed using FTIR. The aqueous solutions before and after the test were analyzed using AAS (atomic absorption spectroscopy). The result obtained has shown that SIAC at 125ppm has the highest cadmium removal averaging 37.87% of cadmium removed. The lowest removal shown by SIAC at 10ppm with an average of 7.70%.