Using Rice Bran Adsorbent for Furfural Removal from Contaminated Water Compared with Activated Carbon

Furfural is a toxic and non-biodegradable substance that is found in wastewater of oil and petroleum refining and petrochemical industries. In this study, the function of rice bran adsorbent was evaluated for the removal of furfural from contaminated water. The effects of operational factors, including furfural concentration (100-900 mg/L), retention time (30-150 min), adsorbent concentration (5-30 g/L), and pH (2-10) were investigated via one-factor-at-a-time method. According to the results, pH had a significant effect on furfural adsorption while using rice bran adsorbent. The maximum adsorption capacity of furfural was obtained as about 10 mg/g at pH=8, while the furfural adsorption capacity dropped to 4.5 mg/g at pH=6. With an increase in retention time up to 80 min at pH=7, the adsorption equilibrium capacity of furfural was achieved at 7.5 mg/g, and this trend remained constant up to and after 24 hours. Furfural adsorption was 50% with rice bran adsorbent under optimal conditions as follows: adsorbent concentration=25 g/L, retention time=120 min, and pH=8. Langmuir isotherm model was obtained for the furfural removal using rice bran adsorbent.