Water purification using bio adsorbents for the removal of cationic dye

Abstract

Various methods are available for water purification, among which adsorption represents an efficient and convenient technique. Cellulose, the most abundant natural polymer on earth, has numerous applications for the removal of various types of organic pollutants including dyes. Boiadsorbents can be modified by physical and chemical methods in order to enhance the adsorption efficiency. The aim of this study is the effective removal of Rhodamine B cationic dye from water using Banana Peels (BP) as the biosorbent. The necessity for using cheap and eco-friendly adsorbent for the removal of organic impurities from water is of supreme importance. In this work, biosorbent is physically modified by planetary ball milling (PBM) and chemically modified by acid hydrolysis. The adsorption experiments were carried out by constant stirring of the unmodified banana peels (BP), physically modified banana peels (PBP) and chemically modified banana peels (CBP) in Rhodamine-B solution for one hour and samples were collected at constant intervals of time. Removal efficiency for various adsorbents is analyzed by the UV Vis spectrophotometer. The morphology and composition of the bio-adsorbents before and after adsorption is investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis. The various functional groups in the adsorbents that are affected by adsorption are analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. This study shows that physically and chemically modified adsorbents can be used as an effective and low-cost alternative for the removal of Rhodamine-B from the water.