Utilizing Novel Lignocellulosic Material from Hart’s-Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) Leaves for Crystal Violet Adsorption: Characterization, Application, and Optimization

Abstract

In this work, a new lignocellulosic adsorbent was obtained and tested for crystal violet dye removal from water. The material was obtained from hart’s-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) leaves after minimal processing, without chemical or thermal treatment. The surface of the material was characterized using a variety of techniques, including FTIR, SEM, and color analysis. The effect of various factors on the adsorption capacity was then investigated and discussed. The kinetic and equilibrium studies showed that the general-order kinetic model and the Sips isotherm are the most suitable to describe the adsorption process. The equilibrium time was reached after 20 min and the maximum calculated value of the adsorption capacity was 224.2 (mg g−1). The determined values for the thermodynamic parameters indicated physical adsorption as the main mechanism involved in the process. The Taguchi method was used to optimize the adsorption conditions and identify the most influential controllable factor, which was pH. ANOVA (general linear model) was used to calculate the percentage contribution of each controllable factor to dye removal efficiency. Analysis of all the results shows that hart’s-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) leaves are a very inexpensive, readily available, and effective adsorbent for removing crystal violet dye from aqueous solutions.