Removal of Methylene Blue from Waste Water using Yam Peel Adsorbent

Abstract

The removal of methylene blue from waste water using yam peel as adsorbent was studied. The SEM and FTIR were used to characterize the adsorbent before and after adsorption. The effects of various experimental parameters, such as the contact time, methylene blue dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, PH and temperature on the adsorption process were investigated. The FTIR showed that the OH and C=O groups were the major sites for methylene blue uptake onto the yam peel adsorbent. SEM analysis revealed the porous and irregular structure of the adsorbent, thus contributing to the diffusion of methylene blue ions to the adsorbent surface. Isotherm modeling showed that the Langmuir model best fitted the adsorption data (R2 > 0.995). In addition, the separation parameter for the dye was less than unity indicating that yam peels waste biomass was an excellent adsorbent for methylene blue dye. Kinetics was well described by the pseudo-first order model. Thermodynamics revealed a physical, endothermic adsorption of methylene blue dye onto the adsorbent. The thermodynamics of the MB-YP system indicate that the adsorption process is spontaneous.