Karakterisasi Pasir Besi Alam dan Cangkang Buah Karet untuk Material Penyerap Logam Berat Pb dalam Air Tercemar

Abstract

The synthesis of natural iron sand and rubber fruit shell was successfully carried out to develop an adsorbent material for removing Pb heavy metal from contaminated water. The synthesis was conducted using the Solid State Reaction method with composition variations of (9:1, 8:2, and 7:3) %wt. Each mixture was processed using the High Energy Milling (HEM) technique, followed by sintering at 1000 °C for 1 hour. Characterization was performed using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy–Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The AAS results showed that all three materials were capable of removing Pb heavy metals with an efficiency of 99.7% and an adsorption capacity of 3.92 mg/L, indicating excellent performance in water purification. The XRD results confirmed the presence of the Fe₃O₄ crystal phase with a cubic structure, as indicated by diffraction peaks at the [220], [311], [222], [400], and [440] planes. The FT-IR spectrum showed the presence of the Fe–O functional group, which is characteristic of Fe₃O₄. The magnetic properties of Fe₃O₄ played a significant role in the adsorption process, as it can attract Pb ions through electrostatic interaction. SEM observations revealed that the material had a rough surface morphology, where Fe₃O₄ particles appeared as fine, spherical grains distributed across the surface of the rubber shell-based activated carbon. The Fe content decreased with increasing composition of activated carbon. EDX analysis showed that the material contained elements such as Fe, O, C, Si, and Al. Overall, natural iron sand and activated carbon from rubber fruit shells were successfully synthesized into an effective adsorbent material for the removal of Pb heavy metal from contaminated water