ADSORPTION STUDIES OF BASIC DYES ONTO TEAK (TECTONA GRANDIS) LEAF POWDER

Abstract

In this study, the adsorption potential of Teak (Tectona grandis) leaf powder (TLP) toremove Methylene blue (MB) and Malachite Green (MG) dye molecules from aqueoussolution was investigated. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the influenceof operational parameters such as, pH (2−9), adsorbent dosage (1−7 g/L), contact time(15−150 minutes) and initial dye concentration (20−120 mg/L) at stirring speed of 150rpm for the adsorption of MB and MG on TLP. Maximum removal efficiency of 98.4%and 95.1% was achieved for MB and MG dye, respectively. The experimentalequilibrium data were analysed using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isothermmodels and it was found that, it fitted well to the Freundlich isotherm model. Thesurface structure and morphology of the adsorbent was characterized using scanningelectron microscopy (SEM) and the presence of functional groups and its interactionwith the dye molecules were analysed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR). Based on the investigation, it has been demonstrated that the teak leaf powderhas good potential for effective adsorption of methylene blue and malachite green dye.