Adsorption of methylene blue onto iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles coated with sugarcane bagasse

The removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution by Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles coated with sugarcane bagasse (Fe3O4 MNP-SCB) was investigated. The adsorbent was characterized with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR). Various physiochemical parameters such as, contact time, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, and pH of dye solution were investigated in a batchadsorption technique. Maximum adsorptions of dyes were obtained from the solutions with 98 % of dye concentration removal at pH 7. To the data obtained in the adsorption experiments, different models of adsorption and kinetics were applied, finding that the best fit to the obtained data is given by applying the pseudo-second-order models. Colour adsorption was fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm as opposed to Freundlich isotherm. It was also determined that the maximum adsorption capacity of methylene blue on the surface of the samples is 37.45 mg/g, which shows that this material has great properties as an adsorbent. These results suggest that Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles coated with sugarcane bagasse is a potential low cost adsorbent for the dye removal from industrial wastewater. The challenges and future prospects are discussed to provide a better framework for a safer and cleaner environment.