Acid-Modified Biochar from Municipal Solid Waste for Rhodamine B Dye Adsorption

Abstract

This study investigates the synthesis and application of acid-modified biochar derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) for the adsorption of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye from aqueous solution. Biochar was produced by pyrolyzing MSW at 450 ͦC and subsequently modified using an acidic treatment to enhance its surface properties including porosity and surface functional groups. Characterization of the biochar was performed using techniques such as Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the acid-modified biochar in removing RhB dye under various conditions including initial dye concentration, contact time and adsorbent dose. The results showed that initial dye concentration of 10 mg/L, adsorbent dosage of 0.4 g and contact time of 100 mins gave the maximum dye removal from the adsorbent. The result showed that the modified biochar exhibited a significantly higher adsorption capacity of 20.24mg/g, with the adsorption process fitting well with the Langmuir isotherm and Pseudo second-order kinetics. This study demonstrates the potential of acid-modified biochar from MSW as an effective and sustainable adsorbent for removing organic pollutants like RhB dye from wastewater.