Production and Characterization of Zeolite Y/Coconut Shell Activated Carbon Hybrid Adsorbent and its Suitability for Textile Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Textile effluents contain persistent organic dyes and ionic pollutants that are inadequately treated by single-component adsorbents. In this work, hybrid adsorbents composed of Zeolite Y and Coconut Shell-derived Activated Carbon (CSAC) were synthesized at different mass ratios using a wet impregnation technique. Structural and surface properties were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET)-N₂ adsorption analyses, revealing complementary features of the two components. Thus, CSAC exhibited heterogeneous porosity and abundant oxygenated functional groups favourable to hydrophobic dye adsorption, whereas Zeolite Y displayed large crystallite sizes, high crystallinity, and revealed ion-exchange capacity. The hybrids displayed coexisting amorphous carbon domains and crystalline Faujasite phases, alongside oxygenated carbon functionalities and aluminosilicate framework vibrations. Textural properties improved significantly after activation and hybridization, yielding high surface areas (≈512–580 m² g⁻¹) and hierarchical micro-mesoporous structures. Carbon-rich hybrids showed potential affinity towards adsorbing bulky hydrophobic dyes through pore filling and π–π interactions, whereas zeolite-rich materials enhanced electrostatic adsorption and ion exchange towards cationic dyes. Incorporation of zeolite into carbon matrices enhanced mechanical stability, rigidity, and selective ion-exchange behaviour, while retaining the broad adsorption capacity of activated carbon. These findings underscore the promise of Zeolite Y/CSAC hybrids as sustainable, high-performance adsorbents for complex textile wastewater remediation.