A Cellulose‐Based Adsorbent using Box‐Behnken Design for the Adsorption of Reactive Blue 19 Dye from Simulated Wastewater

Abstract

This study attempts a successful synthesis of a cellulose‐based adsorbent using orthophosphoric acid as a chemical activating agent followed by pyrolysis. A detailed characterization of synthesized adsorbent in terms of its morphology, material crystallinity, and surface area was studied. Batch studies were performed to remove reactive blue 19 dye from its simulated wastewater. The impact of various adsorption parameters such as adsorbent dosage (A: 0.1 to 0.5 g), initial dye concentration (B: 100 to 500 mg/L), contact time (C: 10 to 180 min), pH (D: 2 to 10), temperature (E: 35 to 60 °C) were examined and optimized using on Box‐Behnken method with Response Surface Methodology. The experimentally obtained adsorption data were fitted to different isotherms and kinetic models. The findings prove that more than 96 % of 400 mg/L of RB19 dye removal is possible with 4 g/L dosage in 18.5 min at 50 °C with its original pH of 6.8. Also, three cycles of regenerability and reusability of CBA gives 51.88 % of RB19 dye removal. Moreover, the possibility of using spent adsorbent in the boiler as a fuel was explored. Consequently, this research will contribute to SDG6 by maintaining circularity and sustainability in the entire process.