Effectiveness of activated carbon magnetic composite from banana peel (Musa acuminata) for recovering iron metal ions

Banana peel (Musa Acuminata) contains cellulose that can be used as a carbon-making material. In this study, the activated carbon from banana peel was modified with magnetite to recover iron metal ions in the solution. The manufacture of carbon from banana peels was done by carbonization at a temperature of 450 °C and activated under alkaline conditions with NaOH. The synthesis of activated carbon magnetite composite used FeCl3 and FeSO4 as precursors. The synthesized material was characterized by TGA, FTIR, XRD, and VSM. The thermal stability of activated carbon has increased after the activation process with NaOH. The magnetite composite has formed with saturation magnetization value (Ms) of 14.06 emu/g which is superparamagnetic material. The acidity of the adsorption system influenced this biosorbent effectiveness for the adsorption of iron metal ions in solution. The most optimal adsorption conditions occurred at a pH 6. The optimal adsorption condition is consistent with the Fe(II) adsorption kinetics model using ACM, namely pseudo-second-order with qe = 10.020 mg g−1. The variations in pH affect the Fe(II) adsorption process with ACM, but the adsorption time did not affect the Fe(II) adsorption process with ACM. The adsorption process of Fe(II) with ACM can run optimally in the range of pH ≥ 6 (base condition). The adsorption process at various pH systems did not affect the structure of the activated carbon magnetite (ACM).