ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Efficient Rhodamine B Removal Using Acidand
Alkaline-Activated Musa paradisiaca
Biochar
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1
Industrial Chemistry Department, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
2
Physical Sciences Department, Landmark University, Omu Aran, Nigeria
Submission date: 2018-05-02
Final revision date: 2018-08-09
Acceptance date: 2018-08-16
Online publication date: 2019-05-01
Publication date: 2019-05-28
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2019;28(5):3063-3070
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ABSTRACT
Musa paradisiaca char was subjected to acid and alkaline treatment in order to prepare highly porous
and efficient adsorbents. Prepared adsorbents were subjected to various characterizations viz surface
morphology using a scanning electron microscopic (SEM), surface functional group using the Fourier
transformed infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area
among others. Adsorbents were subsequently used for the uptake of Rhodamine B (RhB) from aqueous
solution, and adsorption data were tested with isothermal and kinetics models. BET surface area of
985 m2/g was obtained for alkaline-treated Musa paradisiaca. SEM revealed large pores on treated
biomass and functional groups analysis revealed functional groups suitable for sorption. The prepared
adsorbents were found to be effective in the uptake of Rhodamine B, with more than 90% removal in
some cases. Maximum adsorption was obtained at pH 4 for both adsorbents. Equilibrium adsorption
data fitted best into the Langmuir adsorption isotherm with maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of
7.003 mg/g and 6.878 mg/g for acid-treated biomass and alkaline-treated biomass, respectively. Pseudo
second-order kinetics best described the adsorption kinetic data of the two adsorption systems.