CARBON-SILICA COMPOSITE AS ADSORBENT FOR REMOVAL OF CATIONIC DYE (METHYLENE BLUE)

The aim of this research was to synthesize carbon-silica composite (CSC) as an adsorbent for cationic dye removal from wastewater. Molasses, a by-product of the sugar industry, was successfully utilized to prepare CSC by sol-gel method with tetraethoxylsilane (TEOS) as silica source. The physicochemical properties of the composites were studied by N2 2 adsorption, FTIR and TGA. The highest specific surface areas of CSC was 144 m2/g 2 /g at a molasses/TEOS ratio of 0.8, with a mesopore volume of 83% and average pore width of 9.71 nm. This optimal CSC was evaluated for methylene blue (MB) adsorption using batch experiments under varying adsorption times and initial MB concentrations. Adsorption equilibrium was reached within 14 h and the pseudo-second order equation provided the adequate fit for the kinetic studies, suggesting that dye adsorption was limited by chemisorption. The equilibrium data were best described by the Sips model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 180.22 mg/g. The CSC derived from molasses is considered a potentially promising adsorbent for cationic dye removal in wastewater.