Evaluation of textile dye sorption on GAC produced from almond shells based on optimized isotherm models

Single component sorption of three basic dyes used by the textile industry (rhodamine b, malachite green oxalate, and methylene blue) from aqueous systems was evaluated for granular activated carbon produced from the acid activation of almond shells. Dye sorption was compared to sorption on a commercially available activated carbon, Filtrasorb 400. Results suggested that sorption onto granular activated carbon from almond shells is comparable to sorption onto Filtrasorb 400 for the basic dyes studied. Existing predictive and correlative models were used to estimate equilibrium sorption from batch experiments. Parameter estimation was performed using spreadsheet optimization and a range of error functions, consequently allowing for a broader mathematical approach to model development.