ABSTRACT
The objective of this work was to study the efficiency of activated carbon prepared from agricultural waste (olive stones; OS) on diclofenac (DCF) adsorption in aqueous solutions. The prepared charcoals were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analyser (EDX), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis techniques. The results show that DCF adsorption is favorable in acid medium and low temperature. The adsorption kinetics follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption was found to be spontaneous (ΔG° < 0) for OS600°C, whereas the negative values of the enthalpy (ΔH°) suggest an exothermic adsorption for both adsorbents.
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