Kinetics And Equilibrium Studies Of Methylene Blue Dye Adsorption On Oil Palm Frond Adsorbent

Oil palm fronds (OPF) with a moisture content of 1.1% were used to prepare oil palm frond adsorbent (OPFAD) using chemical activation method, which consisted of impregnation treatment of OPF (10-15 mm) with potassium hydroxide at a ratio of 1:1, followed by carbonization at 400 degrees C by N-2 under a steady flow rate of 1 mL min(-1) for 3 h. Batch adsorption studies were conducted to investigate the adsorptive properties of oil palm frond adsorbent towards the removal of methylene blue dye. In this research, OPFAD was classified as mesopores with reference from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry with 2.7273 m(2) g(-1) of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, 0.003112 cm(3) g(-1) of total pore volume, and 4.56361 nm of average pore diameter. The maximum removal percentage of methylene blue through the employment of OPFAD was 82.8% obtained at an adsorbent dosage of 0.1 g/100 mL and an initial dye concentration of 40 ppm. The experimental data from the adsorption process were fitted well into the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm with a Gibbs free energy of adsorption (Delta G degrees) of -24.36 kJ mol(-1). Based on the present research study, it can be proposed that OPFAD can act as an effective alternative adsorbent.