Removal of congo red and acid yellow 36 dye using orange peel and rice husk as absorbents

Abstract

Many researchers have identified the capability of agricultural wastes as absorbents to remove different types of pollutants including dyes. This study represents the use of orange peel (OP) and rice husk (RH) to remove two types of dye, Congo Red (CR) and Acid Yellow 36 (AY 36) dye and provides simple comparison between granular form of OP and RH and activated form of OP and RH. Both types of dyes are toxic and can cause severe problems to the environment. Factor such as absorbent dosage was studied. Batch absorption studies were conducted at 27ÚC with constant stirring at 150 rpm for 2 hours and absorbent dosage of 0.2 to 1.0 g. The results showed that the activated form of OP and RH had the highest removal percentage of CR and AY 36 dyeswhich were up to 100% removal. This study indicates that OP and RH could be employed as low cost materials for the removal of textile dyes from effluents.