Comparative Adsorption of Methylene Blue on Different Low Cost Adsorbents by Continuous Column Process

Abstract

Dyes are commonly found in the effluents of many industries. The effectiveness of adsorption for the removal of dye from wastewaters has been made it an ideal alternative to other expensive treatment methods. Continuous column adsorption is more affective than batch adsorption. A comparative column adsorption study was performed using three different low cost adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue from synthetic wastewater. Sand was collected from Cox’s Bazar, and sugarcane bagasse and used black tea leaves were locally prepared in laboratory. Three columns were designed for different adsorbents maintaining all conditions were to be approximately similar. UV-vis spectroscopic method was used for analysis of methylene blue in solution. Column adsorption experiments were performed to investigate the comparison of breakthrough curves and exhaust capacity of three different adsorbents. Column study shows that the adsorption capacity of used black tea leaves is highest. The adsorption capacity of bagasse is lower than tea leaves but higher than sand.