Jacaranda Mimosifolia Waste Seed Pod Activated Carbon- Fe3O4 Nanocomposite for Removal of Methylene Blue from Synthetic Wastewater

Abstract

In this study AC-Fe3O4 nanocomposite adsorbents were prepared and used for removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous effluents. Synthesized adsorbent samples were characterized using Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The AC-Fe3O4 nanocomposite adsorbents MB removal efficiency was investigated using a batch adsorption technique, and the effect of experimental parameters such as pH of the solution, contact time, initial MB concentration, and adsorbent dosage were studied carefully. Using the optimized parameters, the kinetics and adsorption isotherm as well as reusability of the adsorbents were also investigated. The result revealed that, the adsorption efficiency of the composite increased by increasing the pH of the solution, adsorbent dose and contact time, and reached maximum at pH 7, adsorbent dose of 0.1g, contact time of 15 min, initial MB dye concentration of 50 mg/L at room temperature. The mechanism of pollutant adsorption on the surface of AC-Fe3O4 nanocomposite was tested using adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms. The regenerability of the adsorbent was also evaluated for six cycles. From the prepared samples AC-Fe3O4 nanocomposite, 2:1 ratio showed maximum removal efficiency of 99.98%, maximum adsorption capacity of 49.94 mg/g for MB, and the adsorbent has shown excellent reusability for six cycles without drastic change in its property. The kinetics of the adsorption process fitted well with the Pseudo-second-order kinetic model and from the tested isotherm model, the Langmuir isotherm model was found to be the best fit. From the regeneration study, it is possible to conclude that AC-Fe3O4 nanocomposite was recyclable and reused as MB dye adsorption for 6 successive cycles without significant efficiency loss.