Removal of Methylene Blue Dye Using High Performance Acrylic-Based Activated Carbon Fibers

Nowadays, wastewater treatment is important for eliminating organic and inorganic contaminants. Among organic pollutants, colors have a great impact on environmental pollution. Physical adsorption by activated carbons is very useful in removing pollutants and wastewater treatment. In this study, an activated carbon fiber with high mechanical properties and adsorption capacity was prepared through thermal stabilization and chemical activation of acrylic fibers. Nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and measurement of mechanical properties and iodine number were used to investigate different characteristics of the obtained adsorbent. The potential of these new adsorbents for removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution was investigated in the batch experiments and the influence of main operating parameters, including pH, and the initial dye concentration was studied. Rapid and relatively complete removal (about 95%) of MB dye was achieved at the pH of 12 and initial dye concentration of 100 mg/L. Moreover, it was revealed that the experimental data could be expressed well by the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order model, such that the maximum amount of monolayer adsorption was about 324.83 mg/g. The thermodynamic parameters indicated the spontaneous nature of the adsorption process. According to all results, the mechanical properties and adsorption capacity of the fabricated activated carbon fibers in comparison with other adsorbents exhibit relatively better properties.