Synthesis of Activated Carbon from Trachycarpus fortunei Seeds for the Removal of Cationic and Anionic Dyes

Abstract

The removal of dyes from industrial effluents is one of the most important industrial processes that is currently on academic demand. In this project, for the first time, Trachycarpus fortunei seeds are used as biosources for the synthesis of activated carbon (AC) using physical as well as acid–base chemical methods. The synthesized AC was initially characterized by different instrumental techniques, such as FTIR, BET isotherm, SEM, EDX and XRD. Then, the prepared activated carbon was used as an economical adsorbent for the removal of xylenol orange and thymol blue from an aqueous solution. Furthermore, the effect of different parameters, i.e., concentration of dye, contact time, pH, adsorbent amount, temperature, adsorbent size and agitation speed, were investigated in batch experiments at room temperature. The analysis of different techniques concluded that the pyrolysis method created a significant change in the chemical composition of the prepared AC and the acid-treated AC offered a high carbon/oxygen composite, which is graphitic in nature. The removal of both dyes (xylenol orange and thymol blue) was increased with the increase in the dye’s initial concentration. Isothermal data suggested that the adsorption of both dyes follows the Langmuir model compared to the Freundlich model. The equilibrium time for AC biomass to achieve the removal of xylenol orange and thymol blue dyes was determined to be 60 min, and the kinetic data suggested that the adsorption of both dyes obeyed the pseudo-second order model. The optimal pH for thymol blue adsorption was pH 6, while it was pH 2 for xylenol orange. The adsorption of both dyes increased with the increase in the temperature. The influence of the adsorbent amount indicated that the adsorption capacity (mg/g) of both dyes reduced with the rise in the adsorbent amount. Thus, the current study suggests that AC prepared by an acid treatment from Trachycarpus fortunei seeds is a good, alternative, cost effective, and eco-friendly adsorbent for the effective removal of dyes from polluted water.

Amine-Modified Carbon Xerogels as Effective Carbon-Based Adsorbents of Anionic Dye from Aqueous Solutions

“…Thymol blue is negatively charged at pH > 1.7; therefore, the interaction takes place between the sulfonic group or deprotonated hydroxyl group of the dye (Figure 1) and the amine groups, that are usually Lewis bases, present on the xerogels surfaces. This interaction can be stronger in basic environments than in an acidic ones (pH < 7) [39][40][41][42]. Another problem considered was the influence of the pH of the thymol blue solutions on the sorption capacities of the samples obtained (Figure 7).…”

Enhancing Performance of Arsenic Adsorption through Ce‐Modified Activated Carbon Derived from Bamboo Shoot Shells

“…[5,6] Among these methods, adsorption is widely regarded as the most effective approach owing to its convenience, efficiency, environmental sustainability, and ecofriendliness. [7,8] Originally, activated carbon was frequently utilized for the adsorption of heavy metals. Active carbon is characterized by a highly porous structure, a significantly large specific surface area, and a substantial presence of chemical groups on its surface.…”

“…Various conventional techniques are available for removing arsenic from water, including adsorption, biological methods, ion exchange, coagulation, co‐precipitation, and membrane separation [5,6] . Among these methods, adsorption is widely regarded as the most effective approach owing to its convenience, efficiency, environmental sustainability, and eco‐friendliness [7,8] . Originally, activated carbon was frequently utilized for the adsorption of heavy metals.…”

Adsorption Characteristics and Electrochemical Behaviors of Methyl Blue onto Magnetic MgxCoyZn(1-x-y)Fe2O4 Nanoparticles

“…The adsorbent is a key factor in the adsorption process, and many usual adsorbents, for instance, activated carbon [23], silica gel [24], resin [25], zeolite [26], and activated alumina [27], are applied to treat dye wastewater. With the development of nanotechnology, for larger specific surface area and high adsorption capacity, nanomaterials are applied for adsorption.…”