Evaluation of Methylene Blue Removal Using a Food-Industry Byproduct via Simulation and Modeling

Abstract

Our work examines the use of peanut shells, a common and cheap food waste, as a natural adsorbent for treating industrial dyes, particularly methylene blue in this study. We also performed a comprehensive analysis of adsorption, which showed that it follows both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms, signifying that peanut shells are efficient adsorbents for methylene blue.

To enhance the outcome of the adsorption, a Box-Behnken design was used in our experiment. This design enabled us to examine how various important parameters, such as the amount of adsorbent, concentration of the dye, pH, temperature, rate of stirring, and the ionic strength of dissolved salts, can affect this procedure. Also, a mathematical model and simulation of this adsorption reaction enabled us to find optimal conditions for efficient removal of this dye.

In our experiments, the highest adsorption efficiency of 97% was obtained under optimal conditions of 1.5g of adsorbent, a concentration of 40mg/L of MB, a pH of 11, a temperature of 65°C, 0 mg/L ionic strength, and a stirring speed of 165 rpm. These results reveal that peanut shells can be considered a potential, environmentally sustainable alternative for removing dyes.