Preparation, characterization and evaluation of adsorptive properties of Melinjo shell based activated carbon over Methylene Blue

Abstract

Melinjo shell has been used as a new source of organic waste to produce activated carbon. Melinjo shell has a potential for the removal of methylene blue. Batch adsorption has been conducted in order to test the potential of activated carbon derived from Melinjo shell powder in the field of wastewater treatment. The performance of dye adsorption onto activated carbon derived from Melinjo shell powder were depended on the controlling parameters such as pH, initial dye concentration and adsorbent dosage. In this study, the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm was the suitable model to describe adsorption of methylene blue onto activated carbon derived Melinjo shell powder. FTIR analysis was carried out to study the functional group of activated carbon derived Melinjo shell powder. BET analyses technique was carried out for the measurement of specific surface area of materials. SEM analyses was used to examine the surface morphology of activated carbon derived Melinjo shell powder before and after the adsorption. Before the adsorption, the surface morphology was smooth and had small size pores. After the adsorption, the surface morphology appears rough and with large number of pores. From the result, it can be concluded that activated carbon derived Melinjo shell powder is an environmentally friendly alternative adsorbent to remove methylene blue from wastewater.