Bio-polishing sludge adsorbents for dye removal

The objective of this work is to evaluate the removal of methylene blue dye by bio-polishing sludge-based adsorbents. The adsorbents were characterized according to the specific surface area, pH upon the treatment and surface functional groups. The adsorption of dye was carried out at room temperature, and the adsorption data were analyzed using the isotherm and kinetics models. The bio-polishing sludge is rich in ash content, and the presence of surface functional groups varied with the treatment strategies. The specific surface area of adsorbents is between 7.25 and 20.8 m²/g. Results show that the maximum removal of methylene blue by sludge adsorbents was observed to have the following order: untreated sludge (SR) > zinc chloride-treated (SZ) > microwave-dried (SW) = potassium carbonate-treated (SK) > acid-washed (SH). The maximum adsorption capacities for SR and SZ as predicted by the Langmuir model are 170 and 135 mg/g, respectively. Although SR demonstrates a higher maximum removal than SZ, the latter exhibits greater removal intensity and rate constant even at high dye concentration. The bio-polishing sludge is a promising adsorbent for dye wastewater treatment.