A carbonaceous sorbent was prepared from rice husk via sulphuric acid treatment. After preparation and washing, the wet carbon with moisture content 85% was used in its wet status in this study due to its higher reactivity towards Cr(VI) than the dry carbon. The interaction of Cr(VI) and the carbon was studied and two processes were investigated in terms of kinetics and equilibrium namely Cr(VI) removal and chromium sorption. Cr(VI) removal and chromium sorption were studied at various initial pH (1.6-7), for initial Cr(VI) concentration (100 mg/l). At equilibrium, maximum Cr(VI) removal occurred at low initial pH (1.6-2) where, Cr(III) was the only available chromium species in solution. Cr(VI) removal, at such low pH, was related to the reduction to Cr(III). Maximum chromium sorption (60.5 mg/g) occurred at initial pH 2.8 and a rise in the final pH was recorded for all initial pH studied. For the kinetic experiments, approximate equilibrium was reached in 60-100 hr. Cr(VI) removal data, at initial pH 1.6-2.4, fit well pseudo first order model but did not fit pseudo second order model. At initial pH 2.6-7, Cr(VI) removal data did not fit, anymore, pseudo first order model, but fit well pseudo second order model instead. The change in the order of Cr(VI) removal process takes place in the pH range 2.4-2.6 under the experimental conditions. Other two models were tested for the kinetics of chromium sorption with the data fitting well pseudo second order model in the whole range of pH. An increase in cation exchange capacity, sorbent acidity and base neutralization capacity was recorded for the carbon sorbent after the interaction with acidified Cr(VI) indicating the oxidation processes on the carbon surface accompanying Cr(VI) reduction.

The activated carbon "C" was obtained by carbonization followed by activation with steam at 40% of burn-off. Oxidized carbons C-N, C-P and C-H were obtained by oxidizing the activated carbon C with concentrated nitric acid, ammonium peroxysulfate and hydrogen peroxide, respectively. The textural properties of the carbons were determined from nitrogen adsorption at 77 K. The acidic surface functional groups were determined by pH titration, base neutralization capacity and electrophoretic mobility measurements. The cation exchange capacities of un-oxidized and oxidized carbons were determined by the removal of Cu(II) and Ni(II) from their aqueous solutions. The surface area and the total pore volume decreased but the pore radius increased by the treatment of activated carbon with oxidizing agents. These changes were more pronounced in case of oxidation with HNO3. The surface pH of un-oxidized carbon was basic whereas those of the oxidized derivative were acidic. The removal of Cu(II) and Ni(II) was pH dependent and the maximum removal of the both ions was obtained at pH of 5-6. Cu(II) was more adsorbed, a phenomenon which was ascribed to its particular electronic configuration.