Adsorption of methylene blue onto activated carbon prepared from Lupinus Albus

Abstract

The adsorption of methylene blue (MB) from synthetic aqueous solutions in batch experiments using Lupinus Albus-activated carbon (LAAC) by chemical activation with zinc chloride was investigated. Prior to adsorption experiments, surface/physical properties of LAAC were determined using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier transform infrared Spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption isotherm. In the adsorption experiments, effects of adsorption time, solution pH, MB concentration and amount of LAAC were investigated. The isotherm and kinetic parameters were used to describe the experimental data. The BET surface area was 1254 m2/g while its total pore volume was found to be 0.484 cm3/g. Maximum adsorption capacity occurred at solution pH value 10 and was recorded as 109.89 mg/g. Adsorption data were modeled using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherms. Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order models fit to the process and reaction kinetics correspondingly.