Abstract
Cauliflower leaf powder (CLP), a biosorbent prepared from seasonal agricultural crop waste material, has been employed as a prospective adsorbent for the removal of a basic dye, methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution by the batch adsorption method under varying conditions, namely, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dose, solution pH, and temperature. Characterization of the material by FTIR and SEM indicates the presence of functional groups and rough coarse surface suitable for the adsorption of methylene blue over it. Efforts were made to fit the isotherm data using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin equation. The experimental data were best described by Freundlich isotherm model, with an adsorption capacity of 149.22 mg/g at room temperature. To evaluate the rate of methylene blue adsorption onto CLP, pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion models were employed. The experimental data were best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Evaluation of thermodynamic parameters such as changes in enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs' free energy showed the feasible, spontaneous, and exothermic nature of the adsorption process. On the basis of experimental results obtained, it may be concluded that the CLP prepared from agricultural waste has considerable potential as low-cost adsorbent in wastewater treatment for the removal of basic dye, MB.
Highlights
The increasing demand for commercial dyes by various industries leads to the vast production of dyes
The main objective of the present study is to evaluate the potential of cauliflower leaf powder as an alternative adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue from aqueous media focusing on the adsorption capacity, optimization of various physicochemical parameters, and adsorption kinetics parameters
Considerable changes in the frequencies of functional groups were observed after the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) dye at the surface of Cauliflower leaf powder (CLP) due to their involvement in sorption process either through formation of chemical complex or through physical van der Waals forces [27]
Summary
The increasing demand for commercial dyes by various industries leads to the vast production of dyes. Environmental pollution, water pollution, which arises due to the discharge of unprocessed industrial effluents into main water streams is of major concern These effluents containing dyes and pigments are regularly discharged into the natural water bodies by industries like food, textile, cosmetics, rubber, plastics, paper, pharmaceutical, and so forth. These dyes have so many adverse effects on the aquatic flora and fauna and on the human health. Large water bodies can be colored even with small quantities of dyes, which affect visual quality and diminish light penetration and photosynthesis Many of these dyes are of toxic nature and have cancer-causing and mutagenic effects. Some low-cost agricultural wastes like garlic peel [11], potato plant wastes [12], wild carrot (Daucus carota) [13], agricultural wastes-based activated carbons [14], cotton dust [15], chemically modified tea wastes [16], hazelnut husk activated carbon [17], rice husk and rice ash [18], tea wastes [19], fruit wastes (yellow passion) [20], plant stems (Haloxylon recurvum) [21], LDH bacteria aggregates [22], pine apple leaf powder [23], biomass (Arthrospira platensis) [24], and so forth have been efficiently used for the removal process but they suffer certain drawbacks as well
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