Bioadsorbent Derived from Schinus molle for Effective Retention of Aqueous Methylene Blue

This research concerns the study of the adsorption of methylene blue, used to stain living tissues and in several fields, on purified celluloses (CMFs) extracted from Schinus molle. The morphological and physico-chemical properties of the raw material and the extracted cellulose were determined. Adsorption experiments were performed to analyze initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, pH and contact time effects. The experiments showed that adsorption at pH 6-10 was appropriate and the equilibrium was established after 60 min. The adsorption was perfectly adjustable to the pseudo-second-order and fit well with Langmuir's mathematical models with maximum adsorption capacity of 125 mg g(- 1). Moreover, it seems that Dubinin Radushkevich model gives a good fit with experimental data with adsorption energy of 5.49 kJ mol(- 1), indicating a physical sorption process of methylene blue onto obtained cellulose.