Methylene Blue Adsorption onto Neem Leave/Chitosan Aggregates: Isotherm, Kinetics and Thermodynamics Studies

Abstract

Abstract The work was aimed at evaluating the adsorptive properties of neem leave/chitosan aggregates for methylene blue removal. The adsorbent was screened to form coarse (CCANL, 600 µm), medium (MCANL, 300 µm) and fine (FCANL, 150 µm) neem leave/chitosan particles. The samples were characterized for pH, water binding capacity (WBC), surface chemistry by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, surface morphology by scanning electron microscope and textural properties by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method. CCANL, MCANL and FCANL possessed specific surface area of 255, 258 and 242 m2/g, respectively. The effects of initial concentration, adsorbent dosage, contact time, pH and temperature were studied. CCANL, MCANL and FCANL demonstrated adsorption capacity of 102, 92.5 and 105 mg/g, respectively, in which ionic interaction and mesopore filling were the possible adsorption mechanisms. The equilibrium data were well fitted by Redlich-Peterson model, suggesting a monolayer adsorption onto a heterogeneous surface of adsorbent. The kinetics data were best described by pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models, for which the film diffusion, intraparticle diffusion and surface adsorption could co-exist as the controlling steps in adsorption. Adsorption of methylene blue onto chitosan composites was spontaneous, endothermic and demonstrated increased randomness at solid-solution interface.