Investigation of kinetics and thermodynamics of methylene blue dye adsorption using activated carbon derived from bamboo biomass

This research paper aimed to evaluate the potential of activated carbon (AC) made from non-torrefied and torrefied bamboo biochar samples for the purpose of adsorbing methylene blue solution. The process involved impregnating bamboo biochar with a 5 M potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution at a 1:4 ratio of biochar to KOH, followed by carbonization at 800 °C, 900 °C, and 1000 °C to produce activated carbon samples. The samples were then characterized using techniques such as XRD, FESEM-EDX, FTIR, FE-TEM, and BET analysis to study their respective phase, surface morphology, elemental composition, functional groups, and structural and surface properties. The results showed that the torrefied bamboo AC exhibited a specific surface area of 366 m2/g and a total pore volume of 0.24 m3/g. Kinetic analyses showed adsorption following a pseudo-second-order model, with a capacity of 83.3 mg/g according to the Langmuir model and a favorability constant of 0.52 from the Freundlich model. Thermodynamic studies revealed the process to be spontaneous and endothermic, with changes in enthalpy and entropy of 77,810.73 kJ/mol and 269.9 kJ/mol·K, respectively. These findings highlight the effectiveness of bamboo-derived AC as a sustainable adsorbent for MB dye removal, offering a promising solution for water pollution control.