Biochar Derived from Palm Waste Supported Greenly Synthesized MnO2 Nanoparticles as a Novel Adsorbent for Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Water pollution with dye effluents from different industries is a broadly established environmental and health problem that needs serious attention. In this study, making use of Acacia nilotica seed extract, greenly synthesized MnO2 nanoparticles were loaded on the surface of biochar derived from palm waste (MnO2/PF), with specific surface areas of 70.97 m2/g. Batch experiments were adopted, aiming to evaluate the performance of palm fronds, biochar, and the MnO2/PF adsorbents in methyl orange (MO) removal from an aqueous solution. The feedstock and synthesized biochars were comprehensively characterized using XRD, SEM-EDX, FTIR, and BET surface area techniques. Moreover, the influences of the modification of palm fronds, initial dye concentrations, pH, and adsorbent dosage on MO uptake were examined. The results demonstrated that MnO2/PF biochar nanocomposite led to an increase in the removal efficiency by 6 and 1.5 times more than those of palm fronds and biochar, respectively. In addition, it was found that the second-order kinetic model presented the kinetic adsorption very well. This paper demonstrates that the depositing of greenly synthesized MnO2 nanoparticles on the date palm waste biochar forms a novel adsorbent (MnO2/PF) for the removal of MO from aqueous solutions. Furthermore, this adsorbent was easy to synthesize under moderate conditions without the need for chemical capping agents, and would thus be cost-effective and eco-friendly.