<![CDATA[The development of green, low-cost adsorbents from agricultural waste remains a critical challenge for sustainable wastewater treatment. Herein, durian peel waste was converted into porous activated carbon using lemon extract as a novel natural activator, and its efficiency for Cu²⁺ removal was systematically evaluated. The activation process drastically reduced moisture content from 14% to 2% and ash content from 14% to 4%, while increasing iodine adsorption capacity from 824.85 to 888.30 mg g⁻¹, fully complying with SNI 06-3730-1995 standards. SEM analysis revealed a remarkable transformation in surface morphology, with pore diameters expanding from 9.42–12.6 μm (non-activated) to 12.1–15.8 μm after activation, indicating successful pore development. EDX confirmed Cu deposition (0.67 atom%) on the adsorbent surface post-adsorption, corroborating effective metal uptake. Remarkably, the activated carbon achieved 99.61% Cu²⁺ removal efficiency under optimal conditions (25% lemon extract, 15 min contact time), representing one of the highest performances reported for fruit peel-based adsorbents. Two-way ANOVA demonstrated that both activator concentration and contact time significantly influenced adsorption efficiency (p < 0.05). These findings provide compelling evidence that lemon extract serves as an efficient, eco-friendly chemical activator, and that durian peel-derived activated carbon holds exceptional promise for practical remediation of copper-contaminated water.]]>
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