Removal of Malachite Green from Wastewater Using Neem Bark Activated Carbon: Kinetic and Adsorption Studies

In the present study, the use of low-cost, abundantly available, highly efficient, and eco-friendly adsorbent neem back activated carbon (NBAC) was used as an alternative to the current expensive methods of removing malachite green (MG) dye from aqueous solution. The effects of different variables, contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, and pH of solution were investigated,, and optimal experimental conditions were ascertained at 30 min, 0.1 g, 10 ppm, and pH 6 with maximum adsorption of 36.5, 72.5, 24.56, and 46.28mg/gg/g,/g respectively. The adsorption of MG on NBAC was confirmed by FTIR study, as it showed the change in functional groups before and after adsorption. It was found that Lagergren’s model could be used for the prediction of the system’s kinetics, which showed a correlation coefficient of almost unity (R2 = 0.9997). The present investigation and comparison with other reported adsorbents concluded that NBAC may be applied as a low-cost attractive option for the removal of MG from aqueous solution.