investigating the removal of humic acid using activated carbon derived from watermelon rind and activated carbon derived from watermelon rind nanoparticles modified with titanium dioxide (tio₂)

Water is one of the vital resources for all living organisms, and its quality has a direct impact on human health and the environment. one of the natural organic pollutants found in surface and groundwater sources is humic acid. various methods exist for removing humic acid from water. among these, activated carbon derived from watermelon rind has attracted significant attention due to its unique physical and chemical properties. in this study, the removal of humic acid using activated carbon derived from watermelon rind and activated carbon derived from watermelon rind nanoparticles modified with titanium dioxide (tio2) was investigated. parameters such as contact time, ph, and adsorbent dosage were examined, and the results of the two adsorbents were ultimately compared. the removal efficiency of humic acid using activated carbon derived from watermelon rind reached 93.89%, while activated carbon derived from watermelon rind nanoparticles modified with titanium dioxide (tio2) reached 98%. the findings showed that activated carbon derived from watermelon rind nanoparticles modified with titanium dioxide (tio2) exhibited higher efficiency in removing humic acid compared to activated carbon derived from watermelon rind. additionally, the adsorption behavior of humic acid on the surface of activated carbon derived from watermelon rind nanoparticles modified with titanium dioxide (tio2) is in the best agreement with the freundlich isotherm model. contact times between 55 and 60 minutes and ph levels of 5.5 to 6 are considered as the optimal conditions. with increasing contact time, the effect of the adsorbent amount becomes more pronounced, and humic acid removal increases. the optimal amount of adsorbent is 200 mg/l.