Pristine corn kernels as a pH-responsive biosorbent for selective removal of cationic and anionic dyes

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Chemistry

Background:

• Wastewater treatment is crucial for safe drinking water.
• Industrial dyes like Acid Green 20 (AG20) and Crystal Violet (CV) pose environmental risks.
• Developing cost-effective and sustainable adsorbents is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of pristine corn kernel (CK) as a biosorbent for removing AG20 and CV dyes from water.
• To characterize the CK biosorbent and evaluate its adsorption performance.
• To assess the regeneration potential and antibacterial activity of the biosorbent.

Main Methods:

• Characterization of CK biosorbent using SEM, FTIR, BET, TGA, and elemental analysis.
• Batch and column adsorption studies to determine optimal conditions (dose, time, pH, temperature, concentration).
• Kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic modeling to understand the adsorption process.

Main Results:

• CK biosorbent demonstrated high adsorption capacities: 85.74 mg/g for AG20 and 61.1 mg/g for CV.
• Adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models.
• The process was spontaneous and endothermic, with successful regeneration up to five cycles.
• Over 90% removal efficiency was achieved for both dyes in real water samples.

Conclusions:

• Pristine corn kernel is a highly effective and regenerable biosorbent for removing anionic and cationic dyes from wastewater.
• The adsorption mechanism involves pore diffusion, electrostatic interactions, and hydrogen bonding.
• CK biosorbent shows promise for sustainable and efficient industrial dye removal.