A statistical optimization for almost-complete methylene blue biosorption by Gracilaria bursa-pastoris
Ali Borham,
Mohammed Haroun,
Ibrahim A. Saleh,
Naser Zomot,
Mohammad K. Okla,
Mofeed Askar,
Mohamad Elmasry,
Abdelmonem Elshahat,
Lei Liu,
Chen Zhao,
Juanjuan Wang,
Xiaoqing Qian
Affiliations
Ali Borham
Agricultural Products Safety and Environment, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China; Key Laboratory of Cultivated Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China; Agricultural Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, 33516, Egypt; Corresponding author. Agricultural Products Safety and Environment, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China.
Mohammed Haroun
Agricultural Products Safety and Environment, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China
Ibrahim A. Saleh
Faculty of Science, Zarqa University, Zarqa, 13110, Jordan
Naser Zomot
Faculty of Science, Zarqa University, Zarqa, 13110, Jordan
Mohammad K. Okla
Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mofeed Askar
Economic Entomology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Damietta University, Egypt
Mohamad Elmasry
Animal Production Research Institute (APRI), Agricultural Research Centre (ARC), Egypt
Abdelmonem Elshahat
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, 33516, Egypt
Lei Liu
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China
Chen Zhao
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China
Juanjuan Wang
Agricultural Products Safety and Environment, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China
Xiaoqing Qian
Agricultural Products Safety and Environment, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China
In this study, the dried biomass of four marine algae, namely Porphyra sp., Gracilaria bursa-pastoris, Undaria pinnatifida and Laminaria sp., were screened for their ability to remove methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous solutions. Statistical approaches of the Plackett-Burman Design (PBD) and Box-Behnken Design (BBD) were applied to optimize different environmental conditions in order to achieve the maximum MB removal percentage by Gracilaria bursa-pastoris. The biosorbent was characterized before and after adsorption process using FTIR, XRD and SEM analysis. Additionally, isotherms, kinetics and thermodynamics studies were conducted to investigate the adsorption behavior of the adsorbent. The results showed that Gracilaria bursa-pastoris achieved the highest dye removal efficiency (98.5 %) compared to 96.5 %, 93.5 % and 93.9 % for Undaria pinnatifida, Porphyra sp. and Laminaria sp., respectively. PBD analysis revealed that the agitation speed, pH, and biomass dose were found to be the significant parameters affecting MB removal onto Gracilaria dried biomass. According to the BBD results, the maximum dye removal percentage (99.68 %) was obtained at agitation speed of 132 rpm, pH 7 and biomass dose of 7.5 g/L. FTIR, XRD and SEM analysis demonstrated the participation of several functional groups in the adsorption process and changes in the cell surface morphology of the adsorbent following the dye adsorption. The adsorption isotherms showed better fit to Freundlich model (R2 = 0.9891) than the Langmuir, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. The adsorption kinetics were best described by the pseudo-second-order model (R2 = 0.9999), suggesting the chemical interactions between dye ions and the algal biomass. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption of MB onto Gracilaria dried biomass was spontaneous, feasible, endothermic and random. These results indicate that dried biomass of Gracilaria bursa-pastoris is an attractive, environmentally friendly, cheap and effective agent for MB dye removal from environmental discharges.
