Surface Modification of Areca Husk Activated Carbon for Pharmaceutical Adsorption Fadilla Maharani Aridhya Putri, Nimatul Izza*, Yusron Sugiarto
Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia
*Email: izza_nimatul[at]ub.ac.id
Abstract
Pharmaceutical waste is increasingly recognized as a hazardous pollutant that conventional water treatment cannot fully remove. The presence of pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic ecosystems poses serious risks to human health, including DNA damage, endocrine disruption, and cancer development. Adsorption has emerged as an effective and environmentally friendly method to address this challenge. This study explored activated carbon derived from areca nut husk (Areca catechu L.) as a potential adsorbent. The high cellulose content of areca husk provides a promising precursor for carbon production. To enhance porosity and surface characteristics, chemical activation with potassium hydroxide was applied, while surface modification using the non-ionic surfactant Tween 80 was introduced to improve hydrophilicity. The adsorption performance of these materials was evaluated for removing three pharmaceutical pollutants: paracetamol, ibuprofen, and oxytetracycline hydrochloride. Characterization results indicated that activation improved pore structure and physical properties that complied with Indonesian standards for activated carbon. However, surfactant modification, although altering the surface nature of the adsorbent, did not enhance adsorption capacity. Instead, unmodified activated carbon showed the highest efficiency for all pharmaceutical compounds tested. This suggests that increasing concentrations of Tween 80 may form aggregated layers on the adsorbent surface, blocking active sites and reducing adsorption performance. Overall, the study highlights the potential of areca nut husk as a low-cost and sustainable raw material for activated carbon in mitigating pharmaceutical waste in water systems, while emphasizing the need for further optimization of modification strategies.
