Response surface methodology for optimizing methylene blue dye removal by mesoporous activated carbon derived from renewable woody Bambusoideae waste

Abstract

In this study, the focus was on utilizing tropical plant biomass waste, specifically bamboo (BB), as a sustainable precursor for the production of activated carbon (BBAC) via pyrolysis-induced K₂CO₃ activation. The potential application of BBAC as an effective adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous solutions was investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to evaluate key adsorption characteristics, which included BBAC dosage (A: 0.02–0.08 g/L), pH (B: 4–10), and time (C: 2–8 min). The adsorption isotherm analysis revealed that the adsorption of MB followed the Freundlich model. Moreover, the kinetic data were well-described by the pseudo-second-order model, suggesting the role of a chemisorption process. The BBAC demonstrated a notable MB adsorption capacity of 195.8 mg/g, highlighting its effectiveness as an adsorbent. Multiple mechanisms were identified as controlling factors in MB adsorption by BBAC, including electrostatic forces, π–π stacking, and H-bonding interactions. The findings of this study indicate that BBAC derived from bamboo has the potential to be a promising adsorbent for the treatment of wastewater containing organic dyes. The employment of sustainable precursors like bamboo for activated carbon production contributes to environmentally friendly waste management practices and offers a solution for the remediation of dye-contaminated wastewater.

NOVELTY STATEMENT

This works introduces a renewable and woody Bambusoideae waste as promising and low-cost precursor for producing mesoporous activated carbon via microwave assisted K₂CO₃ activation. The effectiveness of the prepared activated carbon was tested toward removal of a toxic cationic dye, namely; methylene blue from aqueous environment.

Keywords:

• Activated carbon
• adsorption
• bamboo
• BBD model
• methylene blue

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude towards the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam, Malaysia for the provided research facilities. The author (Zeid A. ALOthman) is grateful to the Researchers Supporting Project No. (RSP2023R1), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.