Characterization of the Corallina Elongata Alga and Study of its Biosorption Properties for Methylene Blue

Abstract

Biosorbents can be an alternative to activated carbon. They are derived from agricultural by-products or aquatic biomass. They are low cost and they may have comparable performances to those of activated carbon. The present study focuses on the characterization of the Corallina Elongata (CE) alga and its adsorption performance for Methylene Blue (MB), this alga is found in abundance at the Mediterranean coast of the city of Jijel in eastern Algeria. The dried alga was characterized using various characterization techniques such as DTA, TG, FTIR, XRD, SEM and EDX, which showed that the material consists essentially of a calcite containing magnesium. Batch adsorption studies were carried out and the effect of experimental parameters Such as pH, initial dye concentration, temperature, adsorbent dose and contact time, on the adsorption of MB was studied. The kinetic experimental data were found to conform to the pseudo-second-order model with good correlation and equilibrium data were best fitted to The Langmuir model, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 34.4 mg/g. The adsorption isotherms at various temperatures allowed the determination of certain thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH and ΔS). Finally, the adsorption results showed a good affinity between CE and MB with a high adsorption capacity.