Abstract
Herein, blended rubber seed pericarp (RSP) and sunflower seed pericarp (SFSP) were converted into mesoporous activated carbon adsorbent (RSPSFSP-AC) to remove a toxic cationic dye namely fuchsin basic (FB) dye from aqueous environment. The thermochemical conversion process was carried out by using microwave irradiation assisted ZnCl2 activation for 15 min with 800 W. The physicochemical properties of RSPSFSP-AC were evaluated using several analytical techniques, including pHpzc, BET, FTIR, and SEM-EDX analysis. The adsorptive property of RSPSFSP-AC for FB removal was evaluated and optimized by using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) and desirability function. The desirability function optimal conditions for FB removal (92.8%) were found to be 0.09 g/100 mL of RSPSFSP-AC dosage and 9.2 solution pH. The adsorption kinetic isotherm of the FB dye was explained by the pseudo-second order (PSO) model and Langmuir isotherm model respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of RSPSFSP-AC for the FB dye was found to be 147.7 mg/g. The adsorption of the FB dye onto the RSPSFSP-AC surface can be explained by several possible interactions including π-π stacking, electrostatic forces, pore filling, and hydrogen bonding. Thus, the output of this research work shows the potential applicability of RSPSFSP-AC for capturing cationic dye from an aqueous environment.