Synthesis of activated carbon composited with Egyptian black sand for enhanced adsorption performance toward methylene blue dye

Abstract

The present study reports the feasibility of the synthesis of a novel porous composite adsorbent, prepared from olive stone activated carbon (OS400) and garnet (GA) mineral impregnations (referred to as OSMG). This composite (OSMG) was applied for its ability to adsorb a macromolecular organic dye. The composite’s structural characteristics were evaluated using various techniques such as Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). The specific surface area of the garnet (GA), (OS400), and (OSMG) were found to be 5.157 mg⋅g−1, 1489.598 mg⋅g−1, and 546.392 mg⋅g−1, respectively. The specific surface area of the new composite (OSMG) was promoted to enhance the adsorption of methylene blue (MB). Experiments were conducted under various conditions, including contact time, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, pH, and temperatures. Data from these experiments were analyzed using several adsorption models including Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R). The results indicated that, the adsorption fit best with the Freundlich model and that the adsorption process followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic mechanism. Additionally, the thermodynamic analysis indicated the adsorption of MB onto garnet(GA) adsorbents is endothermic, while the sorption onto (OS400) and (OSMG) is an exothermic and non-spontaneous process. The OSMG composite can be used for at least five cycles without significant loss of adsorptive performance, and can easily be separated from the water after treatment.

Industrial-scale feasibility for textile wastewater treatment via Photocatalysis-adsorption technology using black sand and UV lamp

“…55 The ndings showcase black sand's viability for economical and eco-friendly water treatment. 1,2,4,5,11,13,21,[27][28][29][46][47][48][49] Column adsorption experiments provide practical insights into scalable systems, overcoming the limitations of batch characterizations. The ow rate, pH, and initial dye concentration span industrially relevant ranges.…”

“…Adsorption is advantageous due to its efficiency, versatility, and environmentally friendly nature; however, activated carbon adsorbents remain expensive. [1][2][3][4] Recent research has focused on developing low-cost highperformance adsorbents from agricultural and mineral sources. Various studies have used iron oxide-rich sands for dye removal but primarily in batch experiments, which do not translate directly to large-scale column performance.…”

“…Photocatalysis also shows promise for degrading recalcitrant dyes with metal oxide photocatalysts such as TiO 2 and ZnO demonstrating effectiveness. [3][4][5] This study investigates an innovative combined adsorptionphotocatalytic method that uses inexpensive and abundant black sand, assisted by UV irradiation, to remove methylene blue (MB) dye from water. The motivation is to develop a sustainable low-cost wastewater treatment alternative to activated carbon for organic contaminant removal.…”

Utilizing Olive Mill Solid Wastes from the Olive Oil Industry as a Robust Adsorbent for Methylene Blue Removal

“…These discoveries provide valuable knowledge into the chemical composition of the AC derived from OMSW after activation with ZnCl2. In a comparison to olive stone AC, which was prepared at 400 o C, exhibited a textured, densely packed surface with unevenly distributed pores amidst the graphene sheets with C (90.08%), O (6.68%), and phosphorus (P) (3.23%) [35]. EDX analysis for silverberry seeds AC also showed Zn element (0.43%) and Cl (3.10%) in addition to C (96.37%) and sulfur (S) [31].…”