Comparison of Adsorptive Removal and Oxidative Degradation of BODIPY Dye in Non‐aqueous Systems

Treatment and recovery of organic solvents for reuse in chemical industries are essential for developing a green and circular economy. This study investigates the removal of a model dye Pyrromethene 567 (PM 567) in ethanol to enable clean solvent recovery. Two treatment approaches, adsorption and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), are evaluated and compared with respect to their efficiency, mechanisms, and practical applicability. Four AOPs—gamma (γ)‐irradiation, UV degradation, ultrasonication, and cold plasma— were tested. Among these, γ‐irradiation achieved the highest dye removal efficiency of ∼13.7%, highlighting the limitations of oxidative degradation in ethanol. In contrast, adsorption showed higher dye removal efficiency. Among the various commercial adsorbents examined, powdered activated carbon (PAC) removed over 90% of the dye. To improve scalability and practical implementation, granular activated carbons (AC1, AC2, and AC3) derived from coconut shell were synthesized and characterized via BET, XPS, SEM, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy. The adsorptive behavior of nonpolar (PM 567), cationic (Rhodamine B), and anionic (eosin‐Y) dyes on AC3 and PAC revealed distinct trends in surface interactions between the adsorbents and the dyes. This study demonstrates that adsorption is more cost‐effective and environmentally advantageous than AOPs for dye removal in the context of organic solvent recovery.