Charcoal Prepared from Detarium Microcarpum Peel is an Effective, Low-Cost Adsorbent for the Removal of Methylene Blue (MB) Dye from Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

In an effort to promote the valorization of organic waste, Detarium microcarpum—an important fruit species in southern Chad whose use is generally limited to food consumption and traditional medicinal applications owing to its therapeutic properties—was employed as a precursor for the synthesis of activated carbon. Chemical activation was carried out using potassium hydroxide (KOH). Adsorption experiments conducted with methylene blue, a cationic dye, demonstrated a removal efficiency of 98.43% at pH 11 within 10 minutes at a temperature of 35 °C. The effects of various experimental parameters, including adsorbent mass, point of zero charge (pHPZC), solution pH, contact time, initial dye concentration, and temperature, were systematically investigated These analyses confirmed the basic nature of the reaction upon activation. This material has good porosity and a very high methylene blue decolorization capacity, which suggests the possibility of obtaining high-quality activated carbons from this biomass for the depollution of pollutants and especially for the treatment of wastewater.