Valorization of oak and casuarina fruit shells to reduce the rate of copper and methylene blue

To valorize biomass and reduce the toxicity of industrial effluents, this study focused on two biomasses derived from fruit shells of oak and casuarina, used for the first time as adsorbents for the retention of copper ions Cu2+ and methylene blue by adsorption. The adsorbents were characterized by specific surface area, volume and surface of micropores and mesopores, thermogravimetry, and iodine number. The adsorption was carried out in batch, by studying the adsorption kinetics and isotherms to describe the phenomena of effluent removal. The highest capacity of adsorption of methylene blue was founded for activated casuarina, 667 mg/g after 2 h of contact and 83 mg/g for copper ions by activated oak after 3 h. This study showed that simple materials based on biomass, oak and casuarina fruit shells can be used to treat industrial effluents.

Automated summary

This study focused on using oak and casuarina fruit shell biomass as adsorbents for the removal of copper ions and methylene blue. The highest adsorption capacity was found for activated casuarina for methylene blue and activated oak for copper ions. This research demonstrates that simple biomass-based materials can effectively treat industrial effluents.