Valorizing date palm spikelets into activated carbon-derived composite for methyl orange adsorption: advancing circular bioeconomy in wastewater treatment—a comprehensive study on its equilibrium, kinetics, thermodynamics, and mechanisms

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 31; no. 38; pp. 50493 - 50512
• Main Authors: Al-Hazeef, Mazen S. F., Aidi, Amel, Hecini, Lynda, Osman, Ahmed I., Hasan, Gamil Gamal, Althamthami, Mohammed, Ziad, Sabrina, Otmane, Tarik, Rooney, David W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 03.08.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Adsorbents; Adsorption; Agricultural pollution; Agricultural wastes; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Carbonaceous materials; Dyes; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Efficiency; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Functional groups; Hydrogen bonding; Pollutants; Porosity; Pyrolysis; Research Article; Sustainability; Waste Water Technology; Wastewater treatment; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Water treatment; Zinc chloride; Zinc oxide; Azo dye adsorption; Water remediation; Bioresource utilization; Sustainable composite; Circular bioeconomy; Agricultural waste valorization
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-34581-3

Leveraging date palm spikelets (DPS) as a precursor, this study developed a DPS-derived composite (ZnO@DPS-AC) for water treatment, focusing on methyl orange (MO) removal. The composite was synthesized through ZnCl2 activation and pyrolysis at 600 °C. Comprehensive characterization was conducted using TGA, FTIR, XRD, SEM/EDS, and pH PZC . Characterization revealed a highly carbonaceous material (> 74% carbon) with significant porosity and surface functional groups. ZnO@DPS-AC demonstrated rapid MO removal, achieving over 45% reduction within 10 min and up to 99% efficiency under optimized conditions. The Langmuir model-calculated maximum adsorption capacity reached 226.81 mg/g at 20 °C. Adsorption mechanisms involved hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, and pore filling. The composite showed effectiveness in treating real wastewater and removing other pollutants. This study highlights the potential of agricultural waste valorization in developing efficient, sustainable adsorbents for water remediation, contributing to circular bioeconomy principles.