Removal of methylene blue from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto Carpobrotus edulis biomass

Abstract

The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of an alkaline pretreatment of the Mediterranean plant Carpobrotus edulis on the adsorption capacity toward the dye methylene blue and to estimate the content of soluble organic matter that can be released into the aqueous solution by this biomaterial. The biomaterial used was characterized by SEM-EDX, SS, FT-IR, pHZ, COD and BOD5. Removal of methylene blue (MB) dye by this biomaterial was carried out and the effects of physicochemical factors such as initial pollutant concentration, adsorbent dose, contact time, pH and temperature were investigated. After adsorbent treatment, the soluble organic matter was reduced by 97%, 96%, and 96% for biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and organic matter, respectively. Kinetics and equilibrium studies of MB adsorption on the bioadsorbents were fitted with a pseudo-second order kinetic model and a Langmuir model, respectively. The maximum adsorption amount of the modified C. edulis plant was 153.9 mg/g at 298°K. The thermodynamic parameters show that the adsorption process was possible and spontaneous in nature. The adsorption mechanism of MB on the surface of biomaterials was attributed to the electrostatic interaction and H-bonding. The prepared biomaterial (0.016 U$ per gram) was easily regenerated with aqueous HNO3 solution, with a slight decrease in adsorption capacity up to five cycles. The results of Taguchi experimental design and analysis of variance showed that contact time, adsorbent mass and initial concentration are the most important factors affecting the removal efficiency with a contribution of 43.91%, 32.68%, and 22.95%, respectively. The maximum removal capacity of MB dye in optimal operating conditions was 99.39%, which was obtained at the optimum conditions of m = 1 g, pH 4, T = 35 °C, Ci = 1000 mg/L, tc = 5 min. These results confirm previous results obtained with the batch system and show that this absorbent is also promising for the removal of cationic dyes from wastewater.