Dried Brown Seaweed's Phytoremediation Potential for Methylene Blue Dye Removal from Aquatic Environments

The dried form of the brown seaweed Sargassum latifolium was tested for its ability to remove toxic Methylene Blue Dye (MBD) ions from aqueous synthetic solutions and industrial wastewater effluents. In a batch adsorption experiment, different initial concentrations of MBD (5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mg L^-1), sorbent dosages (0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 g L^-1), contact time (5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 120 min), pH (3, 5, 8, 10, and 12), and temperature (30, 40, 50, 60 °C) were observed. Dried powder of S. latifolium was characterized before and after adsorption of MBD using different techniques, such as FTIR, SEM, UV visible spectral examination, and BET techniques. The BET surface area suggests the formation of S. latifolium was 111.65 m² g^-1, and the average pore size was 2.19 nm. The obtained results showed that at an MBD concentration of 40 mg L^-1, the adsorption was rapid in the first 5, 10, and 15 min of contact time, and an equilibrium was reached in about 60 and 120 min for the adsorption. At the optimum temperature of 30 °C and the adsorbent dose of 0.1 g L^-1, approximately 94.88% of MBD were removed. To find the best-fit isotherm model, the error function equations are applied to the isotherm model findings. Both Tempkin and Freundlich isotherm models could appropriate the equilibrium data, as well as the pseudo 2nd order kinetics model due to high correlation coefficients (R²). Thermodynamic and Freundlich model parameters were assessed and showed that the mechanism of the sorption process occurs by an endothermic and physical process. According to the results of the experiments, S. latifolium is a promising environmentally friendly approach for eliminating MBD from the aqueous solution that is also cost-effective. This technology could be useful in addressing the rising demand for adsorbents employed in environmental protection processes.