A novel low-cost plant-based adsorbent from Red Oak (Quercus rubra) Acorns for wastewater treatment: Kinetic study on removal of dye from aqueous solution

Abstract

Abstract Oak species are a successful plant group that have colonized the world's largest areas of forest. Oak trees are also prevalent in urban green spaces in the United States and Canada. As a result, these trees produced an abundance of acorns each year. In urban areas, these acorns are frequently discarded as solid waste. Alternative uses for this forest/plant waste are highly desirable because they will not only be valorized but will also contribute to the reduction of solid waste. The purpose of this work was to manufacture low-cost activated carbon using Red Oak (Quercus rubra) acorns and utilize it to remove methyl blue colors in aqueous solutions. The results of experiments indicated that prepared carbons were effective at removing pollutants from water. The pH, starting dye concentration, temperature, duration of the adsorption process, and shaking rate all had an effect on the adsorption process. The basic pH system was found to have the most favourable conditions for dye removal after a 3-hour contact time. The starting concentration of adsorbate has a detrimental influence on the removal rate, while the other factors also may have effect. A kinetic analysis revealed for the first 2 hours, the dye adsorption was better characterized by a pseudo-second order kinetic model with an equilibrium concentration (qe) of 0.9756 mg/g and an equilibrium rate constant (k2) of 16.81 g/mg min. Given that Red Oak acorns are largely regarded as solid waste due to their low monitory value and their widespread availability, the resulting carbons are anticipated to be economically feasible for the treatment of wastewater. The study's various findings indicate that this novel material is an excellent biosorbent for dye removal from contaminated waters.