Removal of Dye from Aqueous Solution Using Ectodermis of Prickly Pear Fruits-Based Bioadsorbent

Abstract

Billions of grams of ectodermic fruits, such as prickly pear fruits, are removed and thrown as waste worldwide. In this study, an inexpensive approach was used to successfully transform the agricultural waste prickly pear fruit peels (PPFP) into a new adsorbent used to remove dye (PTZIDM). The adsorbent PPFP revealed a porous structure and a fair surface area. It was characterized and evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and surface area measurements (BET). The effectiveness of the PPFP’s adsorption was assessed in relation to pH, PPFP dose, contact time, and initial dye concentration. The kinetics and isotherm characteristics were investigated. More than 95% removal efficiency was obtained within 60 min at the adsorbent dose of 0.1 g for an initial dye concentration of 1 × 10−5 M at pH 3. The pseudo-second-order models and the Langmuir isotherm are excellent at explaining the characteristic of dye adsorption. This work offers a rapid and simple method for efficiently converting biomass waste and using it to remove pollutants.