LOW-COST AND EFFICIENT ADSORBENT DERIVED FROM CO2 ACTIVATION OF Melaleuca cajuputi POWELL FOR COLOR REMOVAL

Coloring agents are widely used to color products manufactured in many industries. Among the numerous coloring removal techniques, adsorption is the preferred method and gives the best results. However, its use is still limited because of its high operating cost. Many researchers have focused on finding alternative low cost adsorbents. The aim of this work was to produce the low cost adsorbent M. cajuputi activated carbon (MCAC) derived from Mealaleuca Cajuputi Powell by CO2 activation. Batch experiments were carried out to determine the optimum conditions for methylene blue dye adsorbed on MCAC samples. Kinetic data and an adsorption equilibrium isotherm were performed on the batch experiments. The results showed that the MCAC samples had high surface areas in the range of 673-1,497 m(2)/ g. The maximum adsorption capacity of the MCAC samples was found in the range of 40.16-73.53 mg/g. The optimum adsorption conditions of the MCAC were obtained at the contact time of 480 min, the initial MB concentration of 20 mg/L, the initial solution pH in the range of 7-8, the agitation speed of 150 rpm, and the temperature of 30 degrees C. The fixed bed column was investigated and the Thomas model was found to fit the experimental data well with the correlation coefficients of 0.9807, while the adsorption capacity was obtained as 249.66 mg/g. This finding is a useful tool for scale-up and design purposes. It can be concluded that the MCAC can be used effectively as a low cost adsorbent for the removal of color from wastewater.