Porous Biomass Carbon Derived from Clivia miniata Leaves via NaOH Activation for Removal of Dye

Clivia miniata (CM), is an important ornamental plant and has been widely cultivated all over the world. However, there are no reports on Clivia miniata-based porous biomass carbon (CMBC). In this study, for the first time, CM leaves were used to generate porous biomass carbon via NaOH activation. The structures and surface characteristics were determined using scanning electron microscopy, N-2 adsorption/desorption, TGA, FT-IR, X-ray diffraction, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectra tests. CMBC has a large SSA (2716 m(2)/g) and a total pore volume of 1.95 cm(3)/g. To test the adsorption performance via adsorption experiments, the cationic and synthetic dye, malachite green (MG), was utilized as the adsorption model. The CMBC had a greatest adsorption capacity of 2622.9 mg/g at a pH value of 8 and had a fastest adsorption capacity of 1161.7 mg/g in the first 5 min. To explain MG adsorption into CMBC, the Freundlich isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model were used. The adsorption mechanism of MG was also investigated. After 10 cycles, the adsorption efficiency of CMBC to MG could still reach 85.3%. In summary, CMBC has excellent potential in dyeing wastewater pollution treatment.

Automated summary

In this study, porous biomass carbon was generated from Clivia miniata leaves for the first time using NaOH activation. The CMBC had a large specific surface area and total pore volume. The adsorption experiments using malachite green as the model dye showed that CMBC had high adsorption capacity at pH 8 and fast adsorption rate in the first 5 minutes. The adsorption mechanism of malachite green onto CMBC was also investigated, and the adsorption efficiency remained high after 10 cycles. Overall, CMBC has great potential in treating dyeing wastewater pollution.