Activated carbon of Babassu coconut impregnated with copper nanoparticles by green synthesis for the removal of nitrate in aqueous solution.

The present study was conducted to impregnate the surface of a carbon of vegetable origin with copper nanoparticles by the green synthesis method with the aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa flowers, rich in phenolic compounds, which are responsible for the reduction and impregnation of metal nanoparticles. Batch adsorption assays were conducted aimed at nitrate removal with pure (GAC) and impregnated (IGAC) carbon, for comparative purposes. It was found that impregnation increases the efficiency of the carbon by four times in terms of the maximum adsorption capacity, which was 10.13 mg g at 45°C for GAC and 45.01 mg g at 15°C for IGAC, indicating that this is a promising material for the removal of nitrate in waters with an excess of this ion.