Breakthrough studies for the sorption of methylene blue dye from wastewater samples using activated carbon derived from waste banana peels

Abstract

In the current study, an activated carbon derived from waste banana peel using H2SO4 was applied for the first time in a packed-bed column for methylene blue (MB) dye removal from wastewater. The pore structure and surface of banana peel activated carbon (BPAC) were investigated using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis to discover the mechanism of MB sorption. The produced BPAC by H2SO4 activation agent has surface area of 361.86 m2/g and exhibits good thermal stability. The extent of MB breakthrough performance was examined by optimizing flow rate, bed mass, and initial concentration at pH 9. The column’s dynamics revealed a strong dependence of breakthrough curves as a function of process conditions. The breakthrough time (tb), volume of liters processed (L), and adsorption exhaustion rate all increased as bed mass increased but decreased as flow rate and initial concentration increased. Applying linear regression to the experimental data, Yoon-Nelson and Thomas’ kinetic model was used to extract column characteristic parameters that could be used in process design. Using environmental water, the waste banana peel activated carbon material demonstrated effectiveness in removing MB to below acceptable levels by processing 1.16 L of water with an initial MB concentration of 40 mg/L using 8 g of sorbent. Nitric acid (3M) was able to regenerate the exhausted bed. Moreover, the sorbent was reused four times with no significant capacity loss. It can be concluded that waste banana peel activated carbon medium is an alternative solution to remediate MB-contaminated wastewater.