Adsorption Characteristics of Thioflavin T on Activated Carbon from Oil Extracted Elaeocarpus hygrophilus Kruz Seeds

Abstract

The adsorption of Thioflavin T (TT) dyes, cationic dyes, from aqueous solution using activated carbon (AC) from oil extracted Elaeocarpus hygrophilus Kurz seeds was studied in this work. The precursor, water olive seed, was ground for oil extraction by hexane, and then carbonized at 450 °C. The char and KOH were mixed at a mass ratio of 1: 3 and then activated at 780 °C. The carbonization and activation were done under a nitrogen atmosphere. The investigation was divided into 3 sections. The AC was firstly characterized by various techniques such as N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, FTIR, SEM and EDS. The batch adsorption tests were secondly conducted to study the effects of process parameters such as initial pH, contact time, initial dye concentration, and temperature on the performance of the adsorption. The highest dye uptake of 57.34 mg/g was observed under a certain condition: pH of 8.0, contact time of 60 min, initial dye concentration of 250 mg/L, and temperature of 60 °C. Finally, the experimental data were fitted to the adsorption models. The experimental data followed the pseudo-second-order reaction model and Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations. The AC from oil extracted Elaeocarpus hygrophilus Kurz seeds is an effective adsorbent for TT dye removal from wastewater.
 HIGHLIGHTS
 
 Activated carbon derived from an Elaeocarpus hygrophilus Kruz seed, a naturally abundant and cheap resource, was used to adsorb Thioflavin T dyes
 The adsorbent was characterized using a gas sorption analyser, FTIR, EDS, and SEM
 The optimal condition was determined by varying four parameters: contact time, initial pH solution, initial dye concentration, and temperature
 The adsorption process was aided by electrostatic interactions and van der Waals forces
 
 GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT