The Reuse of Palm Tree Fiber Waste As a Solid Phase Extractor for the Removal of Methylene Blue Dye from Wastewater
Authors: Alhogbi Basma Ghaleb 
Published: February 2020

Introduction – Quite often large amounts of colored wastewater are discharged into natural streams with undesirable consequences to the environment and to human health, being generated by industries that use dyes to impart a desired color to their products (food, paper, rubber, textile, plastics and others) [1]. The dye-contained effluents are supposed to be a significant concern due to the adverse effects of dye in various parts of the life cycle. The toxicological and aesthetical problems associated with release of dyes into the environment are the main reasons of these worries. Methylene blue (MB) is one of the widespread materials in dye which is used for cotton and silk painting. The most harmful effects of MB is eye burn and also create breathing problems, nausea, vomiting, profuse sweating, mental confusion and methemoglobinemia. Many treatment methods have been used to remove the dyes from industrial wastewater, which can be divided into physical, chemical, and biological methods. Among the various methods, adsorption is an effective separation process for a wide variety of applications [2]. It is now recognized as an effective and economical method for the removal of both organic and inorganic pollutants from wastewaters. Palm Tree Fiber (PTF), a residue from date farms and industry was studied as a biosorbent for the removal of Methylene blue dye (MB) from contaminated water.

Experimental

Adsorbent preparation and Characterization : the Palm Tree Fiber was washed, dried, grounded then sieved to different particle size and stored into plastic bag. PTF was characterized by Field Emission Scanning Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-ray (FESEM- JEOL JSM 6360LA, Japan). The FESEM analysis was carried out at room temperature with accelerating voltage of 20 kV.

Batch experiment: Study effect of different environmental factor such as, adsorbent mass, contact time, pH and temperature. All determinations were performed in a total of three replicates per experiment and the average values were reported using Ultraviolet (UV-C) with two 15-watt lamps (Philips Model) was used as a source of ultraviolet radiation at λmax = 664 nm. kinetic and isotherm models were utilized to describe the adsorption process mechanisms [3]. Environmental application and recycling.

Results and Discussion - Palm Tree Fiber (PTF) residue of date farms and industry was successfully used as biosorbent for Methylene blue (MB) dye from contaminated water. The chemical composition and surface morphology of the biosorbent was critically studies figure (1). In batch separation mode, the effect of various analytical parameters (adsorbent dose, ion strength, contact time, pH, and temperature) on MB uptake by the used bio sorbent was studied. The kinetic data were also subjected to pseudo-first order and pseudo- second order mathematical models. The pseudo-second order was more predominant for MB uptake. The adsorption equilibrium data of MB retention were subjected to Langmuir to assign the most probable retention mechanism. Langmuir isotherm model indicated an adsorption in monolayers [4]. The application study showed that 99% of MB was removed from the environmental water samples, and a good removal percentage on the 2-time recycling was achieved.

Conclusions - The maximum percentage removal of MB was about 99 %, at the dosage of 20 mg. Adsorption isotherms, and kinetic models were carried out for the calculation of adsorption parameters. The data a demonstrated that the Langmuir isotherm provides a better fit due to higher R2 values. The adsorption process followed a pseudo second order kinetic model indicates that the rate controlling step may be electrostatic attraction. The regenerated biomass exhibited increased dye adsorption up to two subsequent cycles. The results presented in this study indicate that PTF presents great potential as an inexpensive and easily available alternative adsorbent for the removal of cationic dyes in wastewater treatments. For a future research, modification of PTF surface to increase the efficiency of adsorption capacity.

Keywords: Adsorption kinetics; Agri-food waste; Biosorption; Methylene Blue dye; Water treatment.

References

[1] S.A. Alrumman, A.F. El-kott, S.M.A.S. Keshk, Water Pollution: Source & Treatment, Am. J. Environ. Eng., 6 (2016) 88–98.
[2] B.G. Alhogbi, Potential of coffee husk biomass waste for the adsorption of Pb(II) ion from aqueous solutions, J. Sustain. Chem. Pharma., 6 (2017) 21–25.
[3] Z. Yi, J. Yao, M. Zhu, H. Chen, F. Wang, X. Liu, Kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamics investigation on the adsorption of lead(II) by coal-based activated carbon, Plus, 5 (2016) 1–12.
[4] B.G. Alhogbi, M. Abdel Salam, O. Ibrahim. Environmental remediation of toxic lead ions from aqueous solution using palm tree waste fibers biosorbent. Desalination and Water Treatment, 145 (2019) 179–188.

Figure 1