Statistical modeling of methylene blue dye adsorption by high surface area mesoporous activated carbon from bamboo chip using KOH-assisted thermal activation

• Published in: Energy, ecology and environment (Online) Vol. 5; no. 6; pp. 456 - 469
• Main Authors: Jawad, Ali H., Abdulhameed, Ahmed Saud
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: College Park, MD Joint Center on Global Change and Earth System Science of the University of Maryland and Beijing Normal University 01.12.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Adsorbents; Adsorption; Aqueous solutions; Bamboo; Biomass; Carbon; Cationic dyes; Chemical composition; Dyes; Ecology; Electrostatic properties; Energy; Environment; Fourier transforms; Functional groups; Lignocellulose; Mathematical models; Methylene blue; Original Article; Particle size; Physical characteristics; Potash; Potassium; Precursors; Pyrolysis; Response surface methodology; Statistical models; Surface area; Surface chemistry; Variables; Malaysia; KOH activation; Response surface methodology; Methylene blue dye; Modeling; Activated carbon; Bamboo chip
• ISSN: 2363-7692; 2363-8338
• DOI: 10.1007/s40974-020-00177-z

Bamboo chip (BC) biomass was used as an alternative precursor for producing high surface area and mesoporous bamboo chip activated carbon using KOH activation with pyrolysis process. Various characterization methods were employed to study the morphological characteristics, material crystallinity, surface area property, elemental composition, and surface functional group of the bamboo chip activated carbon (BCAC). The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis showed that the bamboo chip activated carbon has a high surface area (720.69 m 2 /g) and mesoporous structure (mean pore diameter 7.32 nm). The adsorption property of bamboo chip activated carbon for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous media was evaluated. The effect of key adsorption parameters such as the bamboo chip activated carbon dose (A: 0.02–0.1 g/L), pH (B: 3–10), temperature (C: 30–50 °C), and time (D: 5–20 min) was optimized using a response surface methodology–Box–Behnken design. The kinetics of adsorption obeyed a pseudo-first order. The adsorption equilibrium was well described by the Freundlich isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity ( q m ) of MB dye was found to be 305.3 mg/g at 40 °C. The MB dye adsorption mechanism onto bamboo chip activated carbon surface indicates various dye–adsorbent interactions: electrostatic attraction, π – π interaction, and H-bonding. This study demonstrates the utility of bamboo chip as a biomass precursor for the efficient synthesis of activated carbon with favorable cationic dye adsorption properties.