Application of nitric acid modified palmyra palm male inflorescence activated carbon for effective removal of methylene blue dye from the aquatic environment

Abstract

Textile industries use dyes that play a significant role in polluting water bodies. The current work examines the acid-modified palmyra palm male inflorescence activated carbon as a novel, environmentally feasible, and economical adsorbent to eliminate methylene blue in synthetic effluent. The adsorbent is chemically activated by nitric acid to enhance pores and active sites. The palmyra palm male inflorescence activated carbon adsorbent is characterized by some characterization techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, BET, and scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray, for analyzing its physio-chemical properties and nature. The prepared adsorbent has a large surface area of 343.781 m2/g. Batch adsorption tests were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the palmyra palm male inflorescence activated carbon. The adsorbent capacity and the highest removal efficiency of the adsorbent are 38.82 mg/g and 98.5%, respectively. It is obtained by maintaining the batch study parameters at their optimum conditions. For this process, 5 g/L will be the suitable dosage for effectively eliminating methylene blue dye. The appropriate dye concentration and contact time for the maximum removal were determined as 100 mg/L and 50 min. Reusability evaluation of the adsorbent was done by utilizing 0.1 Mole of NaOH, and the adsorbent was successfully regenerated and used for up to four cycles.