Watermelon rinds as cost-efficient adsorbent for acridine orange: a response surface methodological approach

In the current investigation, watermelon rinds (WMR) have been utilized as an eco-friendly and cost-efficient adsorbent for acridine orange (AO) from contaminated water samples. Adsorption of AO onto raw (RWM) and thermally treated rinds (TTWM250 and TTWM500) has been studied. The adsorption efficiency of the three adsorbents was evaluated by measuring the % removal (%R) of AO and the adsorption capacity (q(e), mg/g). Dependent variables (%R and q(e)) were optimized as a function of four factors: pH, sorbent dosage (AD), the concentration of AO (DC), and contact time (ST). Box-Behnken (BB) design has been utilized to obtain the optimum adsorption conditions. Prepared adsorbents have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and Raman spectroscopies. The surface area of RWM, TTWM250, and TTWM500, as per the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, was 2.66, 2.93, and 5.03 m(2)/g, respectively. Equilibrium investigations suggest that Freundlich model was perfectly fit for adsorption of AO onto TTWM500. Maximum adsorption capacity (q(max)) of 69.44 mg/g was obtained using the Langmuir equation. Adsorption kinetics could be best described by the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model. The multi-cycle sorption-desorption study showed that TTWM500 could be regenerated with the adsorption efficiency being preserved up to 87% after six cycles.

Automated summary

In this study, watermelon rinds were used as an eco-friendly and cost-efficient adsorbent to remove acridine orange from contaminated water samples. The adsorption efficiency of the adsorbents was optimized by adjusting factors such as pH, sorbent dosage, the concentration of acridine orange, and contact time. The prepared adsorbents were characterized and the adsorption kinetics were investigated. The results showed that the thermally treated watermelon rinds had higher adsorption capacity and could be regenerated effectively.