Preparation and Characterization of Adsorbent Derived from Maize Cob

This study focuses on the preparation and characterization of adsorbent derived from maize cob, emphasizing its potential for removing contaminants from aqueous solutions. Maize cobs were collected, dried, prepared, and subjected physiochemical and elemental analysis. Characterization was done using scanning electron microscopy and Electron Dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM/EDX) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicate that the elements carbon and oxygen had greater values (42.69% and 40.22%, respectively), whereas the elements sodium, calcium, and nitrogen had lower values (5.64%, 2.56%, and 1.28%, respectively). The maize cob material showed a unique pH of 6.5 which firmly indicates that this corncob material might be employed as an effective adsorbent for purifying water. Also, the high fixed carbon content (65.50%) revealed that the maize cob material is of good quality, and appropriate for adsorption. Moreover, the FTIR peaks validate the absorptive properties of maize cob due to the presence of adsorbents’ functional groups; -OH, C=N, and C=O, which control the adsorption mechanism in addition to their behavior during adsorption. On the other hand, the micrograph images of the material made of maize cobs display the aggregation of the adsorbent particles and the observed closed pores following adsorption resulted in a more distinct and transparent adsorbent structure for maize cobs.