Ultra-efficient removal of methylene blue, oxytetracycline, and lead(II) by activated carbon derived from black cumin (Nigella sativa) processing solid waste

Accumulating dyes, drugs, and heavy metals in water creates a lasting environmental problem that affects living things in different ecosystems. Their removal is imperative for environmental necessity in a habitable world. Adsorption with carbonaceous materials produced especially for the evaluation of agricultural wastes is a lowcost and effective removal technique. This study is related to the investigation of the adsorbing performance of a new activated carbon (BAC) synthesized from black cumin (Nigella sativa) processing solid waste (BW) under optimal conditions determined by single-step carbonization/activation with potassium carbonate to remove methylene blue, oxytetracycline, and lead (II) in an aqueous medium. Their optimum adsorption conditions were decided based on the maximum effects of important operational parameters. Experimental kinetic and isotherm findings for each adsorption system were modeled by evaluating widely used kinetic and isotherm equations. The maximum adsorption capacity of BAC was determined as 752 mg/g for methylene blue, 911 for oxytetracycline, and 556 mg/g for lead (II) from the Langmuir isotherm model. The thermodynamic parameters determined showed that the adsorption processes were self-occurring and also endothermic for methylene blue and oxytetracycline and exothermic for lead(II). In addition, BAC showed stability and recyclability in adsorptiondesorption cycles for the pollutants studied. These findings suggest that BAC can be used as an ultra-efficient adsorbent for larger-scale wastewater treatment.