Toward the development of a practical and green approach for removing phosphate from water, a monolithic cryogel based on starch and calcium silicate hydrate (Cry–CSH) was employed as a phosphate adsorbent in a continuous flow system for the first time. The influence of flow rate, initial phosphate concentration, and adsorbent height on the adsorption efficiency was investigated. As the rate of flow and the initial concentration of phosphate increased, the total quantity of adsorbed phosphate dropped; however, the performance of the column was greatly enhanced by an increase in adsorbent height. The experimental data fit the Adams–Bohart model better than the Thomas and Yoon–Nelson models at the beginning of the adsorption process. To evaluate its applicability, the continuous flow system based on the monolithic Cry–CSH column was applied for the removal of phosphate from the discharge effluent of the Patong Municipality Wastewater Treatment Plant (Phuket, Thailand), achieving an excellent total adsorption of 94.61%.
A green monolithic starch cryogel was prepared and applied for the removal of methylene blue (MB) using a batch system. The influence of various experimental parameters on MB adsorption was investigated. High removal efficiency (81.58 ± 0.59%) and adsorption capacity (34.84 mg g−1) were achieved. The Langmuir model better fitted the experimental data (determination coefficient (R2) = 0.9838) than the Freundlich one (R2 = 0.8542), while the kinetics of MB adsorption on the cryogel followed a pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic with an activation energy of 37.8 kJ mol−1 that indicated physical adsorption. The starch cryogel was used for MB removal from a wastewater sample collected from a local Batik production community enterprise in Phuket, Thailand, and a removal efficiency of 75.6% was achieved, indicating that it has a high potential as a green adsorbent for MB removal.
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