Casuarina equisetifolia as a biosorbent for crystal violet removal from aqueous solutions: characterization and adsorption studies
摘要
In this study, raw Casuarina equisetifolia cones (RCE) were evaluated as a natural, low-cost biosorbent for the elimimation of crystal violet (CV) dye from aqueous solutions. Comprehensive physicochemical characterization was performed using ATR-FTIR, XRD, SEM–EDS, BET surface area, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG), confirming the lignocellulosic structure, irregular surface morphology, thermal stability, and presence of active functional groups. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, dye concentration, and ionic strength. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order model. The Freundlich isotherm model provided the best description of equilibrium data, indicating multilayer adsorption on a heterogeneous surface. According to the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity obtained was 88.94 mg/g. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the process is spontaneous (ΔG° < 0), endothermic (ΔH° > 0), and accompanied by increased randomness (ΔS° > 0) at the solid–liquid interface.