article · RSC Advances
Stems and leaves from the papaya plant can be transformed into highly porous activated carbon through carbonisation and phosphoric acid activation. The resulting materials serve as effective adsorbents for removing hazardous alizarin red s and methylene blue dyes from water. Material prepared from papaya stems achieved a high surface area of 1053.52 square metres per gram and demonstrated greater dye uptake than material made from leaves. In laboratory batch tests, the stem-derived activated carbon achieved complete removal of both dyes at concentrations below 150 parts per million within 15 minutes. It also demonstrated maximum adsorption capacities of 931 milligrams per gram for alizarin red s and 990 milligrams per gram for methylene blue. Furthermore, the stem-based carbon retained its removal efficiency across five consecutive reuse cycles.
Textile and chemical dyes can cause severe environmental damage when discharged into waterways. Repurposing agricultural plant waste like papaya stems and leaves to create effective water purification materials addresses two challenges at once. It provides a circular method for handling agricultural residues while offering a high-performance, reusable filter medium to remediate hazardous industrial dye contamination.
This work demonstrates potential for industrial wastewater remediation, particularly for facilities discharging dye-laden effluents. The technology is in the applied and tested research stage, having been proven in laboratory batch tests and cycling experiments. Prospective users include industrial water treatment operators seeking low-cost, bio-based adsorbents, though pilot-scale trials and production economics remain necessary to assess readiness for large-scale use.
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In this study, stems and leaves of the papaya plant were employed to prepare a high-quality porous adsorbent <i>via</i> carbonization and chemical activation using phosphoric acid. This adsorbent demonstrates superior adsorption capabilities for the efficient removal of hazardous alizarin red s (ARS) and methylene blue (MB) dyes. Thus, it contributes to waste reduction and promotes sustainable practices in environmental remediation, aligning with global efforts to develop sustainable materials that address water pollution while supporting circular economy principles. The structural properties of the activated carbon were characterized through various techniques, including BET surface area, FTIR, SEM, XPS, zeta potential measurements, and determination of the zero-point charge. The characterization results confirmed the preparation of highly porous activated carbon from papaya stems with a high surface area of 1053.52 m<sup>2</sup> g<sup>-1</sup>. The batch experiments revealed that the maximum adsorption capacities for the stem-activated carbon (SAC) were 931 mg g<sup>-1</sup> for ARS and 990 mg g<sup>-1</sup> for MB. For the leave-activated carbon (LAC), the capacities were 410 mg g<sup>-1</sup> for ARS and 642 mg g<sup>-1</sup> for MB. SAC exhibited 100% removal of MB or ARS with concentrations lower than 150 ppm in 15 min. The data fitted well with the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order model. Moreover, the reusability revealed that the SAC can be reused over 5 cycles without significant change in the removal efficiency. Overall, SAC and LAC derived from papaya plants exhibited excellent dye adsorption performance, suggesting potential for large-scale applications.
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DOI: 10.1039/d4ra07957d
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