| Summary: | In this study, sunflower seed pericarp activated carbon (SFSPC-AC) was produced from sunflower seed pericarp (SFSPC) using microwave-assisted chemical activation with H3PO4. The SFSPC-AC was characterized using XRD, BET, FTIR, FE-SEM, and EDX techniques. Its effectiveness in removing methylene blue (MB) dye from an aqueous solution was evaluated. The adsorption process was optimized using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) statistical approach. The BBD model showed high significance, with actual R2 and Adj-R2 values of 0.9910 and 0.9795, respectively. Additionally, analyses such as predicted vs. actual run, standardized residuals, ANOVA, and desirability confirmed a 99% removal of MB dye under the following conditions: SFSPC-AC dose = 0.08 g/100 mL, solution pH = 9.8, and contact time = 22 min. The batch adsorption results aligned well with the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature and the SFSPC-AC adsorbent displayed a reasonable adsorption capacity of 80.4 mg/g, establishing itself as a cost-effective and renewable adsorbent for the removal of toxic cationic dye from aqueous environments. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.
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