A regenerable microporous adsorbent based on microcrystalline cellulose for organic pollutants adsorption

Abstract

The adsorption properties of highly homogeneous microcrystalline cellulose pellets were investigated. The removal of the cationic dye Methylene Blue from aqueous solutions using a batch adsorption technique was studied as a typical application. Equilibrium and kinetic adsorption processes are studied. Equilibrium data were best fitted by Langmuir isotherm with an adsorption capacity about 82 mg/g. The model that best describes the kinetics of adsorption process is the pseudo-second order. Microcrystalline adsorbent regeneration using acetic acid or sulphuric acid was shown to be promising. Finally, microcrystalline cellulose pellets as a regenerable adsorbent can lead to viable application in environmental ecotechnology.