Mesoporous Activated Carbon from Bamboo Waste via Microwave-Assisted K2CO3 Activation: Adsorption Optimization and Mechanism for Methylene Blue Dye

• Published in: Separations
• Main Authors: Azlan Zahari K.F., Sahu U.K., Khadiran T., Surip S.N., ALOthman Z.A., Jawad A.H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2022
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85144689146&doi=10.3390%2fseparations9120390&partnerID=40&md5=f490866c1a0ac106c94d096a9fbc71ea

Bamboo waste (BW) was activated with a K2CO3 precursor in a microwave process for the adsorption of MB dye from an aqueous solution. The prepared bamboo-waste-activated carbon (BWAC) was analyzed by instrumental techniques such as FTIR, SEM, and BET analysis. The surface of the BWAC was mesoporous with a surface area of 107.148 m2/g. The MB dye removal was optimized with the three variables of adsorbent dose, pH, and contact time using the Box–Behnken design (BBD) model. Up to 87% of MB was removed in the optimized conditions of adsorbent dose of 0.08 g/100 mL, pH of 7.62, time of 8 min, and concentration of 50 mg/L. Here, the most effective parameter for MB removal was found to be adsorbent dose with an F-value of 121.70, while time and pH showed a smaller effect. The maximum adsorption capacity of BWAC in the optimized conditions was found to be 85.6 mg/g. The adsorption of MB on BWAC’s surface was through chemisorption and a spontaneous process. The adsorption mechanism study showed that three types of interactions are responsible for the removal of MB dye from aqueous solutions by BWAC, i.e., electrostatic interactions, H-bonding, and pi–pi interactions. Hence, BWAC can be considered a highly efficient adsorbent for MB removal from wastewater. © 2022 by the authors.