Food cannery effluent, pineapple peel as an effective low-cost biosorbent for removing cationic dye from aqueous solutions

Abstract

The present research explores the viability of pineapple peel, an agricultural effluent discharged from the food can processing industries for removing methylene blue (MB) dye from the aqueous solution. The effects of contact time, initial concentration, and solution pH on the adsorptive uptake of MB were investigated in a batch mode study. The morphological and functional characterization of the adsorbent was performed using the scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared analysis. The adsorption equilibrium was simulated using the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. Kinetic modeling was fitted to the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic equations, while the adsorption mechanism was determined using the intraparticle diffusion model. Equilibrium data were favorably described by the Langmuir isotherm model, with a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 97.09 mg/g. The results provide a strong evidence to support the potential use of pineapple waste as an effective adsorbent for the treatment of textile wastewater.

Keywords:

• Adsorption
• Isotherm
• Kinetic
• Methylene blue
• Pineapple peel