Jurnal Akademika Kimia, 12(1): 44-51, February 2023 ISSN (online) 2477-5185 | ISSN (print) 2302-6030 http://jurnal.fkip.untad.ac.id/index.php/jak/ OPEN ACCESS 44 1 Activation of Durian Skin Biomass with H2SO4 Activator on the Absorption of Lead from its Solution Fahrul Riski, Irwan Said, Afadil, & Purnama Ningsih Program Studi Pendidikan Kimia/FKIP – Universitas Tadulako, Palu – Indonesia 94119 Received 28 October 2022, Revised 23 January 2023, Accepted 15 February 2023 doi: 10.22487/j24775185.2023.v12.i1.pp44-51 Abstract Research has been carried out on the bioabsorption of lead (Pb) using durian skin biomass (Durio zibethinus) which has been activated using an H2SO4 activator. The durian skin sample used was durian skin from Central Sulawesi. The processing technique to remove lead (Pb) from liquid waste was carried out by an adsorption process. The adsorption process is an effective purification and separation technique used in industry because it is more economical and simple in treating wastewater and is a technique that is often used to reduce metal ions in wastewater. This study aims to determine the mass and contact time of the adsorption of Pb by durian skin biomass. Determination of the adsorbed metal used atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The results obtained showed that the optimal Pb ion adsorption occurred at a weight of 2.5 grams with an absorption capacity of 99.94%. While the optimal Pb ion adsorption occurred at a contact time of 40 minutes with an absorption capacity of 99.94%. Keywords: Durian skin, activation, adsorption, biomass, Pb metal Introduction Water is one of the most abundant natural resources on earth and the main component of life processes. Water that can be used must meet physical, chemical, and microbiological requirements (Athena et al., 2004; Burlakoti et al., 2020). The increasing human activity in the industrialization era hurts human life and the surrounding environment. The widespread use of heavy metals in the form of salts for industrial purposes is one of the main factors for increasing heavy metal pollution in water bodies (Briffa et al., 2020). One type of heavy metal that causes water pollution is lead (Pb). Lead (Pb) is easily purified so it is widely used by humans in various activities. Environmental pollution by lead (Pb) mostly comes from human activities that extract and exploit the metal. The Pb content in water can cause health problems such as intestinal disorders, unpleasant odors, causing a yellow color on the walls of the bathroom tub, and yellow spots on clothes (Darmono, 2001; Al-Tohamy et al., 2022). Several methods or processing techniques to remove Pb from water have been carried out by physical and chemical processes (Soria-Aguilar et al., 2021). One of the methods that can be used is the  *Correspondence: Fahrul Riski e-mail: fahrulriski9999@gmail.com © 2023 the Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. adsorption method. The adsorption process is an effective purification and separation technique used in industry because it is considered more economical in water and wastewater treatment and is a technique that is often used to reduce metal ions in wastewater (Selvi et al., 2001; Algarni & Al- Mohaimeed, 2022). The use of adsorption techniques requires an adsorbent. Treatment costs are an important parameter in selecting adsorbents and the cost of each adsorbent varies greatly, depending on the process required and the availability of the adsorbent. One of the materials used is durian skin, which is proportionally high in cellulose (50 – 60 %), lignin (5 %), and low starch content (5 %) (Masturi et al., 2018). This cellulose can be used as a metal binder (Apriani et al., 2013). Based on these contents, durian peel can be used as a potential raw material in the manufacture of adsorbents (Noer et al., 2015). In terms of structure, durian consists of three parts, namely the flesh about 20 – 30 %, the seeds about 5 – 15 %, and the skin about 60 – 75 % (Jaguaribe et al., 2005; Herlina et al., 2016). To improve the quality of the adsorbent, an activation process can be carried out. Where the activation process aims to enlarge the pores by breaking hydrocarbon bonds or oxidizing surface molecules so that the adsorbent changes properties, both physical and chemical, namely the surface area