Development of mt-NADES Beads and Optimization for Efficient Extraction of Methylene Blue Using Response Surface...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Aquatic environments face significant challenges from synthetic dye contamination, notably methylene blue (MB).
• Adsorbent technologies present a promising avenue for the remediation of dye-polluted water bodies.
• Developing efficient and sustainable adsorbents is crucial for addressing industrial wastewater issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize novel biopolymeric adsorbent beads.
• To functionalize alginate-chitosan matrices with menthol-thymol-based natural deep eutectic solvents (mt-NADES).
• To evaluate the methylene blue (MB) removal capacity and reusability of the developed adsorbent beads.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of alginate-chitosan beads functionalized with mt-NADES.
• Optimization of adsorption parameters using Response Surface Methodology (RSM).
• Analysis of adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics.
• Assessment of adsorbent reusability over multiple cycles.

Main Results:

• Optimal conditions for MB removal were determined (275 ppm MB, 155 mg adsorbent, pH 10, 150 min).
• Achieved a maximum MB removal efficiency of 95.21%, closely matching the predicted value.
• Adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich isotherm model, indicating multilayer adsorption.
• The mt-NADES beads exhibited excellent reusability, retaining over 95% efficiency after six cycles.

Conclusions:

• mt-NADES-functionalized biopolymeric beads are highly effective for methylene blue removal.
• The adsorbent demonstrates significant potential for sustainable industrial wastewater treatment.
• This approach aligns with green chemistry principles, offering a viable environmental solution.