The Adsorption Capabilities of Methylene Blue Using Coconut Fibers in Order to Develop the Aquatic Environment

Abstract

To decrease the amount of waste biomass and develop a useful application. Coconut fiber (CF) was used to prepare a novel adsorbent to remove methylene blue (MB), which is a recalcitrant organic compound in the water environment. We were able to produce novel adsorbents such as CCF500 and CCF1000 by the calcination treatment of CF. The specific surface area and pore volume of CCF1000 were higher than those of CF or CCF500. Quantity of MB adsorbed was in the order; CCF500<CF<CCF1000 under our experimental condition. Additionally, the specific surface area and pore volume were strongly related to the adsorption of MB (Correlation coefficient: >0.986). The adsorption mechanism of MB using CCF1000 was demonstrated in this study. The intensities of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) onto CCF1000 surface increased after adsorption of MB. In addition, the binding energies of nitrogen (1s) at approximately 400 eV and sulfur (2s and 2p) at approximately 165 and 230 eV which were generated after adsorption. Therefore, the adsorption of MB from aquatic solution was strongly involved with the physicochemical properties of CCF1000 surface. Our findings showed that CCF500 and CCF1000 could be produced from CF by calcination treatment, which demonstrates that the amount of waste biomass decreased. In particular, CCF1000 displays the capability to adsorb MB from aquatic solution. These results showed that CCF1000 could be a useful adsorbent for aquatic environment purification.