Abstract:
The dis-charge of textile effluents in to water bodies has become a serious environmental
problem. Based on this idea, focusing the environmental issue and economic point of view, the
use of, low cost and eco-friendly agricultural by-products were investigated for removal of
methylene blue from aqueous solution. In this study, the usage of Barley (Hordeum vulgare) bran
& Ensete ventricosum midrib of leaf as adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue dye from
aqueous solution has been investigated. Some physico-chemical properties of the adsorbents
were determined, such as porous characteristics, surface area, surface functional group & point
of zero charge. The batch adsorption studies of methylene blue carried out by Barley bran &
Ensete ventricosum midrib of leaf independently and three main factors such as contact time,
effect of pH & effect of initial concentration were used to optimize the best of adsorption
efficiency for methylene blue removal adsorption processes. The surface area measured by Sear
method was 26.2 m
2
/g and 20.344m
2
/g respectively, for both adsorbent. The optimum adsorption
of methylene blue on Barley bran & Ensete ventricosum midrib of leaf were 96.3% & 97.4%, at
pH 5.07 & natural pH 5.66, adsorbent dose 0.1g, concentration of methylene blue 10mg/L,
contact time 4 h & 1 h, respectively. The experimental result has been fitted well by Langmuir
isotherm model for both barley bran & Ensete ventricosum midrib of leaf. Moreover adsorption
kinetics were determined using pseudo first order and pseudo second order models and it was
found that the adsorption process follows the pseudo second order model for both barley bran &
Ensete ventricosum midrib of leaf. The adsorbents used were locally available and could be
taken as low-cost adsorbents for the removal of cationic (basic) dyes in wastewater treatment.
Thus, this low-cost, effective removal method may solve the problem of industrial wastewater
through adsorptive removal of dye
