Removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous solutions by adsorption on levulinic acid-modified natural shells

An environmental approach to cement admixtures: Utilization of waste olive seed powder as a bio-polymeric admixture

The integration of organic wastes into cement-based materials shows promise as a solution to mitigate environmental pollutants. It achieves this by minimizing waste sent to landfills and in some conditions decreasing Portland cement use. One of these organic wastes that produces positive effects when used in cement products is olive seed. In this study, the effect of a new generation bio-polymeric admixture on the physical and mechanical properties of cement mortars is examined in detail. The bio-polymeric admixture is prepared by grinding olive seeds in 0/125 μm sizes. The olive seeds have been used as bio-polymeric admixture in cement mortars at different rates, i.e., 0, 0.2, 0.35, 0.5, 1 and 1.5% of total weight. The olive seed is characterized by XRD, FT-IR analysis and by determining extracts, pectin, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin content. The characteristics of hydration products were analyzed by SEM/EDS and XRD investigations. Effect of bio-polymeric admixture addition on the unit weight, flowability, setting time, compressive and flexural strength and capillary water absorption was analyzed. The results suggested that the bio-polymeric admixture hindered the cement hydration at low usage rates but promoted at high usage rates. Accordingly, 28 days compressive and flexural strength of test samples decreased. However, 1.5 wt% bio-polymeric admixture was associated with a slight increase of 150-days compressive strength. Bio-polymeric admixture improves the hydrophobicity property of the hardened mortar samples by declining effect on the water absorption. Another important effect of the bio-polymeric admixture contribution was also observed on the flowability property of the cement mortars. As the bio-polymeric admixture increased, the flow diameter values of the mortar were also significantly increased. The research outcomes suggested for the first time the beneficial effect of bio-polymeric admixture as a natural and bio-degradable alternative of chemical admixtures on especially flowability, set retarder and hydrophobicity of cement mortars with comparable mechanical properties.

Methylene blue sorption performance of lignocellulosic peach kernel shells modified with cellulose derivative chitosan as a new bioadsorbent

In this study, adsorption isotherms (Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich) and thermodynamic properties of cationic methylene blue (MB) dye adsorption onto chitosan-coated peach kernel shell waste (CTS-PKSh) from wastewater were investigated. CTS was cross-linked with citric acid (CA) and glutaraldehyde (GA). The adsorbents were characterized by FE-SEM/EDS, FTIR, and particle size distribution. MB adsorption behavior onto the biosorbents was investigated concerning parameters such as adsorbent dosage (0.8-8 g/L), time (0-540 min), pH (3-10), initial dye concentration (50-700 mg/L), and temperature (25-55 °C). The Langmiur qmax and experimentally qe MB adsorption capacities of the new adsorbents were found to be 227.27 and 201 mg/g for CA cross-linked CTS-PKSh (CA@CTS-PKSh) and 111.12 and 96.5 mg/g for GA cross-linked CTS-PKSh (GA@CTS-PKSh), respectively. The results of thermodynamic analysis showed that adsorption was feasible, exothermic, and spontaneous. According to adsorption and recyclability results, CA@CTS-PKSh was more effective for MB removal at a 2 g/L adsorbent dose for an initial dye concentration of 100 mg/L, 25 ± 1 °C, contact time 60 min, and pH 7.

Adsorption of Rhodamine B from an aqueous solution by acrylic-acid-modified walnut shells: characterization, kinetics, and thermodynamics

A batch experiment was used in studying the effect of acrylic-acid-modified walnut shell (MWNS) as a low-cost adsorbent for removing Rhodamine B (RB) cationic dye in aqueous solutions. The adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, contact time, temperature, pH, and supporting electrolyte concentration on the adsorption behaviour of the adsorbent were explored. The adsorbent was characterized using the point of zero charge (pH_PZC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), automatic specific surface analysis (BET), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results showed that MWNS had abundant active groups and rough surface, which is conducive to the adsorption process. The kinetics and equilibrium data of MWNS-to-RB adsorption were in accordance pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models, respectively. Under optimal adsorption conditions, the maximum adsorption capacity of RB was 48.87 mg·g^-1. Thermodynamic results showed spontaneously and exothermically the adsorption process. Moreover, the addition of electrolyte had a negative effect on equilibrium adsorption capacity and adsorption rate.HIGHLIGHTS Acrylic-acid-modified walnut shells was used as an adsorbent for the removal of Rhodamine B (RB).The adsorption of RB by modified walnut shells was greatly affected by pH.Pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich model fit the experimental data.The modified walnut shell can remove RB through electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and electron donor-acceptor interaction.

Application of Walnut Shell Biowaste as an Inexpensive Adsorbent for Methylene Blue Dye: Isotherms, Kinetics, Thermodynamics, and Modeling

This research aimed to assess the adsorption properties of raw walnut shell powder (WNSp) for the elimination of methylene blue (MB) from an aqueous medium. The initial MB concentration (2–50 mg/L), the mass of the biomaterial (0.1–1 g/L), the contact time (10–120 min), the medium’s pH (2–12), and the temperature (25–55 °C) were optimized as experimental conditions. A maximum adsorption capacity of 19.99 mg/g was obtained at an MB concentration of 50 mg/L, a medium pH of 6.93 and a temperature of 25 °C, using 0.2 g/L of WNSp. These conditions showed that the MB dye elimination process occurred spontaneously. Different analytical approaches were used to characterize the WNSp biomaterial, including functional groups involved in MB adsorption, the surface characteristics and morphological features of the WNSp before and after MB uptake, and identification of WNSp based on their diffraction pattern. The experimental isotherm data were analyzed by the Langmuir and Freundlich models for the adsorption of MB dye. The corresponding values of parameter RL of Langmuir were between 0.51 and 0.172, which confirmed the WNSp’s favorable MB dye adsorption. The experimental kinetic data were examined, and the pseudo-second-order model was shown to be more suitable for describing the adsorption process, with an excellent determination coefficient (R2 = 0.999). The exchanged standard enthalpy (H° = −22.456 KJ.mol−1) was calculated using the van ‘t Hoff equation, and it was proven that the adsorption process was exothermic. The spontaneous nature and feasibility of the MB dye adsorption process on WNSp were validated by negative standard enthalpy values (G°) ranging from −2.580 to −0.469 at different temperatures. It was established that WNSp may be employed as a novel, effective, low-cost adsorbent for the elimination of methylene blue in aqueous solutions.

Sustainable phosphorylated microcrystalline cellulose toward enhanced removal performance of methylene blue

In this study, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was phosphorylated using phosphoric acid in the presence of urea and used as an adsorbent for methylene blue (MB) dye removal from an aqueous solution. The obtained products were characterized by different techniques. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted under varying conditions of incubation time, initial MB concentration, pH, and phosphorylation degree. All the samples exhibited similar and fast adsorption kinetics, described by pseudo-second-order model for MB adsorption, whereas the retention capacity depended significantly on the phosphate content and the surface charge of the adsorbents. The experimental adsorption data in the examined MB initial concentrations (0-2000 mg/L) were best suited by the Langmuir isotherm model. The study revealed that the presence of phosphates groups in the cellulose structure significantly enhanced the adsorption of the MB pollutant. The maximum dye removal capacity at pH of 7 was obtained for the phosphorylated microcrystalline cellulose (284.03 mg/g) with a high phosphorylation degree (1.92 % of P), which is 20 times higher than unmodified MCC (15.29 mg/g). This property increased from 284.03 to 328.32 mg/g when increasing the pH from 7 to 11. The MB adsorption mechanism involves hydrogen bonding, electrostatic and ion-dipole interactions. These findings are relevant to a better understanding of the role of cellulose phosphorylation in the recovery of organic dyes from the waste liquid of many industries.

Kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamic investigations of methylene blue dye removal using Casuarina equisetifolia pines

Casuarina equisetifolia pines are degradable biopolymeric substance with dye-sequestering property was utilized as biosorbent to expel a cationic dye; methylene blue dye from simulated wastewater. The prepared adsorbent material was characterized for their structural, morphological and elemental features to understand their suitability in augmenting in dye-wastewater remediation. The results infer that 0.5 g/L biosorbent was proficient in removing 100 mg/L methylene blue (pH 7.0 ± 0.2) when agitated at 150 rpm for 120 min. Isothermal behavior were evaluated using non-linear isotherm models like Temkin, Langmuir and Freundlich models while the rate-limiting steps were found using kinetic models. Temkin isotherm and pseudo-first order model explained the removal mechanism among the models evaluated, which infers that the biosorption followed physisorption with the maximum adsorption capacity of 41.35 mg/g. Thermodynamic behavior of methylene blue removal by C. equisetifolia pines powder described the feasibility of biosorption as well as the type of heat involved. Equilibrium sorption capacities, rate constants and correlation coefficients explains that MB dye removal by C. equisetifolia pines is presumably physisorption, spontaneous and endothermic in nature.

Study of the Potential Uses of Hydrochar from Grape Pomace and Walnut Shells Generated from Hydrothermal Carbonization as an Alternative for the Revalorization of Agri-Waste in Chile

A myriad of resources and efforts have been devoted to assessing the possibilities of using locally sourced biomass to produce energy, reduce CO2 emissions, and, in turn, lower dependance on petroleum. Grape pomace (GP) and walnut shells (WS) are organic waste generated in Chile. Within the last decade, the potential benefits and application of biomass have received significant attention, both in terms of producing functionalized carbon materials, and the various potential applications in the field of energy storage and environmental protection. The proposed research motivation is on the development of carbonous materials through thermal decomposition processes. Few researchers have addressed the idea of developing a multipurpose carbonaceous matrix from hydrochar, and there remains a need for an efficient method to obtain hydrochar specially from grape pomace. Hence, the general objective of this research is to study the potential of grape pomace and walnut shells treated with hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) as an alternative low-cost and efficient carbonous matrix. Proximate and elemental analysis was determined to distinguish the nature of the feedstock along with the hydrochar produced. Yield and reaction severity were also studied to study the impacts of temperature and residence time for both feedstocks. Successful results from the proposed work have broad applications for increasing the sustainability biomass applications, contributing to a positive economic impact.

The use of spent coffee grounds and spent green tea leaves for the removal of cationic dyes from aqueous solutions

This study aimed to examine sorption effectiveness of cationic dyes: Basic Red 46 (BR46) and Basic Violet 10 (BV10) onto spent coffee ground (CG) and spent green tea leaves (GTL). The scope of the study included, i.a.: sorbent FTIR spectra analysis, determination of pH effect on dye sorption effectiveness, analysis of dye sorption kinetics, and determination of maximal sorption capacity of the sorbents. The effectiveness of BR46 sorption on the sorbents tested was the highest at pH 6 and that of BV10 at pH 3. Both sorbents caused changes in solution pH during the sorption process, due to the system tending to reach the pH value approximating the pH_ZPC (pH_PZC = 7.55 for CG and pH_PZC = 7.05 for GTL). The time needed to reach BR46 and BV10 sorption equilibrium onto CG and GTL ranged from 180 to 240 min. The intramolecular diffusion model demonstrated that the sorption of cationic dyes onto CG and GTL proceeded in three phases differing in the intensity and duration. The maximal sorption capacity of CG reached 179.4 mg/g for BR46 and 59.3 mg/g for BV10. The sorption capacity of GTL was lower and reached 58.0 mg/g for BR46 and 26.7 mg/g for BV10.