Development of Adsorbent Material from Tamarind-Seed Testa for Reactive Dye Adsorption

Abstract

In this research, the adsorbent material was developed from the agricultural waste, tamarind-seed testa. The adsorption of 6 different reactive dyes viz. Procion Red H-E7B, Procion Yellow H-E4R, Procion Navy H-ER, Remazol Brilliant Red F3B gran, Remazol Yellow 3BS-A 150% and Remazol Black B 133%, on the adsorbent prepared from tamarind-seed testa was investigated. The chemical composition analysis showed that the major components in the tamarind-seed testa were lignin and carbohydrates (cellulose and hemicellulose). When the bleached tamarind-seed testa was used as an adsorbent, it was found to efficiently adsorb the reactive dyes at pH 2 without any assisting mechanical agitation. The reactive dye exhibiting ultimate adsorption on the adsorbent was Procion Navy H-ER (66.3 mg/g). A high rate of dye adsorbed capacity was noticed in the first hour and the equilibrium adsorption was reached within 3 hours.