Adsorption of Methylene Blue on industrial softwood waste Cedar and hardwood waste Mahogany: comparative study

In this study, a new approach to treating textile effluents is to exploit industrial wood waste (Cedar and Mahogany) as a clean, a biodegradable and an inexpensive biosorbents in the adsorption of methylene blue. The adsorption potential of an aqueous solution of Methylene Blue (MB) on these sawdusts was evaluated by studying the influence of various experimental parameters governing this adsorption. Adsorption rates of 98% on Cedar sawdust and 96% on that of Mahogany were reached at pH=4 in room temperature. The kinetic study showed that the adsorption process follows a pseudo-second order model for the two sawdusts; also, the equilibrium isothermal model is a Langmuir type. The adsorption capacity of Langmuir model is 217.39 mg per one gram for Cedar with a regression R-2 = 0.9509 and 149.25 mg per one gram for Mahogany with R-2 = 0.9541. This study revealed that these sawdust used are very effective for the removal of Methylene Blue and can therefore be tested for other types of industrial dyes. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.