Novel herbal adsorbent based on wheat husk for reactive dye removal from aqueous solutions

Abstract

In the present study, wheat husk was applied as a natural adsorbent for the dye C. I. Reactive Yellow 15 removal from aqueous solutions. Different effective parameters of the decolorisation process such as contact time, stirring speed, temperature and pH of solutions were studied and the best condition for achieving the highest efficiency was introduced. It was found that the wheat husk activated with the solution of HClO₄ has a higher adsorption capacity. The optimum reaction time, at the speed of 50 rpm, is 70 min. At very acidic and natural pH and at the temperature of 30°C, C. I. Reactive Yellow 15 was removed more effectively. The Longmuir isotherm was found to be the most appropriate isotherm for describing the adsorption behavior of the reactive dye on wheat husk.

Key words: Adsorbent, wheat husk, reactive dye, decolorization, wastewater.