| Summary: | This study employed palm date stone (PDS) as an alternative precursor to produce activated carbon (PDSAC) via microwave-assisted ZnCl2 activation. The Box-Behnken design (BBD) method was utilized to optimize the critical adsorption factors for removal of crystal violet dye (CV) dye by PDSAC. The optimized adsorption parameters were obtained; A: PDSAC dose (0.02–0.1 g/100 mL), B: pH (4–10), and C: contact time (20–200 min). Moreover, the numerical desirability function approach was adopted to statistically validate the output of BBD results and to estimate the best operational adsorption conditions. The dye adsorption kinetics were well described by the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model. Moreover, the Freundlich isotherm model is the best model to describe the heterogeneous nature of the adsorption process of CV by PDSAC. Thus, the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of PDSAC for the CV dye was 33.7 mg/g at 25 °C. The adsorption mechanism of CV by PDSAC can be assigned to different types of physical and chemical contributions such as pore filling, H-bonding, electrostatic forces, and π-π stacking interaction. Hence, this study introduces PDS as a renewable precursor for producing activated carbon with potential application for toxic dye removal from aqueous media. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.
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