Removal efficiency and adsorption kinetics of methyl orange from wastewater by commercial activated carbon

This research investigates commercial activated carbon (AC) potential to remove methyl
orange (MO) dye removal from aqueous solution using a batch process. The AC material was
characterized using FTIR spectroscopy and SEM analysis. The effect of the main operating parameters,
such as the pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and initial dye concentration, was studied. MO
removal could be accomplished within 30 min at a pH value of 3. The calculated maximum MO
adsorption capacity onto activated carbon was 129.3 mg/g, while the removal efficiency was 97.8%.
Adsorption results were analyzed by studying the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The
MO adsorption data on activated carbon were better explained by the Langmuir isotherm than by
the Freundlich isotherm. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model may have had an effect on the MO
dye adsorption on AC material. This research showed that the commercial activated carbon can be
used as an effective sorbent for MO removal from wastewater sample. Moreover, the AC material
has good reusability and practical utilization capacities.