An Eco-Friendly Solution to Industrial Dye Pollution: Removal of Methylene Blue by Activated Carbon

Abstract

With the rapid pace of industrialization and urbanization, water pollution has emerged as one of the most pressing global environmental challenges. Synthetic dyes discharged from industries such as textiles, paper, plastics, and paints are of particular concern due to their toxic, persistent, and bio-accumulative nature, which poses long-term risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health. This study investigates the adsorption performance of commercial activated carbon for the removal of methylene blue, a model toxic dye, from aqueous solutions. The physicochemical characteristics of the adsorbent were examined using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Adsorption experiments were optimized with respect to pH, initial dye concentration, and contact time, and further evaluated using kinetic and isotherm modeling. The kinetic data best fits the pseudo-second-order model, while equilibrium data correlated strongly with the Langmuir isotherm, indicating monolayer adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity was calculated to be 290.66 mg g⁻¹. These findings demonstrate that commercial activated carbon provides an environmentally friendly, effective, and feasible solution for the mitigation of toxic dye pollution in water resources.

Keywords

• Water pollution
• Methylene blue
• Toxic dye
• Activated carbon
• Adsorption

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