Methylene Blue Adsorption Mechanism onto Palm Kernel Shell-derived Activated Carbon: From Particle Diffusion to Site Adsorption

Authors

  • Khairul Anwar Mohamad Said Department of Chemical Engineering and Energy Sustainability, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia; UNIMAS Water Centre (UWC), Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Mohamed Afizal Mohamed Amin UNIMAS Water Centre (UWC), Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia; Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Ibrahim Yakub Department of Chemical Engineering and Energy Sustainability, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Md Rezaur Rahman Department of Chemical Engineering and Energy Sustainability, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia; UNIMAS Water Centre (UWC), Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Ahmad Beng Hong Kueh UNIMAS Water Centre (UWC), Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia; Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Sinin Hamdan Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Mohammed M. Rahman Department of Chemistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia & Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research (CEAMR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia

Keywords:

Activated carbon, Methylene blue, Palm kernel shell, Adsorption, Kinetic, Isotherm

Abstract

The mechanism of methylene blue adsorption was investigated for palm kernel shell-derived activated carbon from the bulk solution to active sites. For different initial dye concentrations, 100 ppm methylene blue led to approximately 10 mg/g adsorption capacity while experiencing a decreasing trend at lower initial dye concentrations as follows: 50 ppm (approximately 5 mg/g) > 20 ppm (approximately 2 mg/g) > 5 ppm (approximately 0.5 mg/g). Based on the Boyd external diffusion model, the mechanism of methylene blue adsorption started with its diffusion from the bulk solution via the bounding film encapsulating the activated carbon. The adsorbed species occupied more than one class of active site with an adsorption rate of 0.54 mg/g.min, while the adsorption capacity accounted for 14.7 mg/g. The information about methylene blue offers useful insights into describing the steps of dye adsorption onto palm kernel shell-activated carbon.

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Published

2023-06-08 — Updated on 2023-07-18

Issue

Section

Research Article or Brief Communication