Efficient lead removal from industrial wastewater using activated carbon synthesized from wood sawdust

Firdos Abdulla (College of Chemical Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad 10066, Iraq)
Qusay Al-Obaidi (College of Chemical Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad 10066, Iraq)
Maryam Al-Ameri (College of Chemical Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad 10066, Iraq)
Mohd Shukor Salleh (Fakulti Teknologi Dan Kejuruteraan Industri Dan Pembuatan, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Hang Tuah Jaya, Melaka 76100, Malaysia)
M. N. Mohammed (Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Gulf University, Sanad 26489, Bahrain)
Oday Abdullah (College of Engineering, Al-Naji University, Baghdad 10015, Iraq Department of Energy Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad 10071, Iraq Department of Mechanics, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty 050040, Kazak)
Faris H. Al-Ani (College of Civil Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad 10066, Iraq)

Communications in Science and Technology
Vol 11 No 1 (2026)

The social economy's rapid expansion and unprecedented population growth are significantly contributing to environmental issues. Contamination of soil and water by heavy metals is a major environmental problem. Activated carbon synthesized from biomass possesses several qualities, including a large specific surface area, a hierarchically porous structure, robust adsorption capability, and high economic value. Wood sawdust, a plentiful agricultural by-product, was used to chemically produce activated carbon (AC). Lead removal from industrial wastewater was examined using this AC. The Langmuir and Freundlich models, along with first- and second-order kinetics, were applied for kinetic analysis. The novelty of this work lies in the combination of moderate-temperature chemical activation (600 °C) with Iraqi wood sawdust, achieving a remarkably high surface area (1477.54 m2/g) compared to most previously reported biomass-derived adsorbents. Results showed an impressive maximum adsorption capacity of 177.54 mg/g. This value compares favorably with many recently reported biomass-derived adsorbents. The boundary layer effect occurs, and the adsorption of Pb follows pseudo-second-order kinetics.