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Role of functional groups and morphology on the pH-dependent adsorption of a cationic dye using banana peel, orange peel, and neem leaf bio-adsorbents

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Abstract

The bio-adsorbents can provide an eco-friendly and low-cost solution to treat effluent water from the textile industry. The pH of the textile industrial effluent water varies from 4 to 14. Therefore, it is pertinent to investigate the effect of pH on bio-adsorption efficiency and understand the materialistic reasons driving bio-adsorption. We hypothesise that to develop an understanding of the observed pH dependence on bio-adsorption, knowledge of morphological and chemical features of the adsorbent is critical. This aspect prompted us to study the role of underlying major materialistic factors – functional group and morphology, on bio-adsorption at different pH levels. With this objective, we performed experiments on three different bio-adsorbents – viz. banana peels, orange peels, and neem leaves remove a cationic dye Rhodamine B from water. The dye removal efficiency was quantified using a UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The critical role of functional groups and morphology on the activity of the bio-adsorbents were investigated – utilising Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques. All the bio-adsorbents exhibited significant removal efficiency. The removal efficiency is understood based on the protonation of functional groups and the dynamics of zwitterion formation. The derived connection between the chemical features of the adsorbent and the pH of the contaminant solution will be helpful in better adoption of bio-adsorbents in treating effluent water from the textile industry.

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Funding

This work was supported by Kerala State Council for Science, Technology & Environment–SRS. Project 107/2016. BT gratefully acknowledges UGC-BSR SAP for fellowship assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Calicut, Kozhikode, Kerala, 673635, India

    Bintu Thomas, E. P. Shilpa & L. K. Alexander

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  1. Bintu Thomas
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  2. E. P. Shilpa
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  3. L. K. Alexander
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Correspondence to L. K. Alexander.

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Thomas, B., Shilpa, E.P. & Alexander, L.K. Role of functional groups and morphology on the pH-dependent adsorption of a cationic dye using banana peel, orange peel, and neem leaf bio-adsorbents. emergent mater. 4, 1479–1487 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42247-021-00237-y

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