Preparation and characterization of biocomposite film made of activated carbon derived from microalgal biomass: An experimental design approach for basic yellow 1 removal

Abstract

The adsorbent is typically used in the form of a fine powder, which can pose challenges when attempting to recover from the liquid after use. This issue has been addressed by encapsulating the fine powder in a biopolymeric material to create a biocomposite film. In this study, activated carbon (AC) powder derived from microalgal biomass and pectin were used to produce this biocomposite film. This film was employed as an adsorbent to remove basic yellow 1 (BY) dye from a liquid solution. The biocomposite film underwent characterization using a gas sorption analyzer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The point of zero charge and mechanical properties were also determined. The impact of various factors, including contact time, initial pH, initial dye concentration, and temperature, on BY uptake were investigated. The BY uptake reached equilibrium at 540 min, and the monolayer BY uptake was 57.75 mg/g. Experimental design and response surface methodology were utilized to identify the key factors affecting BY uptake and determine the optimal levels of these factors for maximum BY uptake. Statistical analysis of the derived model yielded an R2 of 0.9997 and a p-value of 9.89 × 10−5, indicating that the optimal conditions were achieved under specific conditions: a solution pH of 2.0, an initial BY concentration of 250 mg/L, and operating temperature of 320 K. These results suggest that the low-cost biocomposite film developed in this study has the potential to effectively remove BY from industrial wastewater.

Keywords

• Activated carbon
• Adsorption
• Basic yellow 1
• Biocomposite film
• Box-Behnken design
• Response surface methodology