Recycling waste by manufacturing biomaterial for environmental engineering: Application to dye removal

Abstract

There are several disposal and governance difficulties due to rapid bio-waste growth. Therefore, recycling and repurposing them for environmental purposes is garnering increasing attention. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) followed by phosphoric acid activation was used in this investigation to synthesize a novel activated hydrochar (AHPP) from pomegranate peels. X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) surface area analysis and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) pore size distribution, and pH of zero charge were exploited to define the characteristics of AHPP, which was then used to assess the uptake of Basic Red 46 (BR46) dye in the batch mode. Isothermal and kinetic investigations were accomplished with pH = 6, 0.5 g.L−1 of adsorbent, 400 rpm at 298 K upon 60 min. The Freundlich model accurately presented the equilibrium curves with an adsorption capacity of 998.95 mg g−1, while the PSO kinetic model adequately corresponded to the experimental data. Furthermore, thermodynamic data disclosed that the process was spontaneous, endothermic, and linked to a growing disorder at the adsorbent-adsorbate interface. Lastly, the reuse investigation using HCl ascertained that AHPP might be recycled ten times, whereas a probable adsorption mechanism was proffered. Overall, it is possible to conclude that activated hydrochar generated from pomegranate peels as cost-effective waste could be employed as an alternative sorbent in dining substantial effluents retaining BR46.