Comparative Study of Low-cost Adsorbents for Methylene Blue Removal

Abstract

The objective of this study is to compare methylene blue dye removal ability by 3 types of lowcost adsorbent including activated carbon charcoal and bamboo charcoal. The effects of adsorbent dosage (0.5-2.0g), contact time (0-120min), initial methylene blue concentration (65-140mg/g) and pH solution (3-9) were investigated. The adsorption isotherms were analyzed by using Langmuir and Freundlich equations. The experimental results found that the optimum adsorbent dosage and contact time of the low-cost adsorbents were 2 g and 90 min, respectively. The removal efficiencies of methylene blue by Activated carbon, Charcoal and Bamboo charcoal were 75.48, 23.90 and 16.57 %, respectively. Adsorption data were fit to Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacities of activated carbon, charcoal and bamboo charcoal were 18.73, 5.18 and 0.81 mg/g, respectively. Therefore, Activated carbon could be an effective adsorbent for methylene blue dye removal.