Valorization of Oil Palm Trunk Biomass for Lignocellulose/Carbon Nanoparticles and Its Nanomaterials Characterization Potential for Water Purification

This study has two broad objectives, which include: 1) valorization of oil palm trunk (OPT) biomass for non-activated carbon nanoparticles (NAc-CNPs) and lignocellulose nanofibers (LCNFs) and 2) characterization of these nanomaterials for heavy metal removal efficiency. These nanomaterials were also tested for their heavy metal adsorption efficiency. From this study, it was established that these nanomaterials have diameters size lesser than 100 nm. NAc-CNPs have a stacked particle structure, whereas LCNFs form web-like features with entangled individual LCNF; thus, they form more stable aggregates in dilute water than NAc-CNPs. In the aqueous state, NAc-CNPs comparatively had more aggregates with the appearance of bimodality and multimodality in particle size distribution. LCNFs have a higher crystallinity index due to the presence of deposited crystalline cellulose and silica crystallites. There was no pronounced chemical change in functional groups in both NAc-CNPs and LCNFs. These nanomaterials demonstrate excellent heavy metals removal efficiency and are favorable to adsorb Cu, Pb, Fe, and Zn ions, especially in contaminated water, wastewater, and peatland.