Removal of Methylene Blue Dye from Aqueous Solutions Using Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO Nanoparticles)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65419/albahit.v5i2.139Keywords:
Methylene blue, zinc oxide nanoparticles, adsorption, aqueous solutions, Langmuir model, adsorption kineticsAbstract
This study evaluated the effectiveness of zinc oxide nanoparticles in removing methylene blue dye from aqueous solutions using a batch adsorption process. The remaining dye concentration was measured by UV–Visible spectrophotometry at a wavelength of 664 nm. A highly linear calibration curve demonstrated the reliability of the analytical method throughout the investigated concentration range.
The influence of several operational parameters, including contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, and solution pH, was examined. Additional investigations included control experiments, adsorption equilibrium studies, kinetic modeling, and nanoparticle characterization.
The results showed that zinc oxide nanoparticles achieved a dye removal efficiency of 90.60% under the conditions of 10 mg/L initial dye concentration, 0.5 g/L nanoparticle dosage, neutral pH, and 120 minutes of contact time. Increasing the nanoparticle dosage to 1.0 g/L improved the removal efficiency to 95.20%, while the highest efficiency associated with pH variation was 93.20% under alkaline conditions. Adsorption equilibrium data were best represented by the Langmuir model, indicating a maximum adsorption capacity of 52.72 mg/g. The adsorption kinetics were more accurately described by the pseudo-second-order model. Characterization analyses confirmed the nanoscale size, crystalline structure, and favorable surface properties of the zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Overall, the findings demonstrate that zinc oxide nanoparticles are an efficient adsorbent material for the removal of methylene blue from aqueous solutions under the studied conditions.
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