Author(s)

Marcel Cédric Deussi Ngaha, Lydiane Ghislaine Djemmoe, Evangéline Njanja^*, Ignas Tonle Kenfack

Electrochemistry and Chemistry of Materials, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.

In this work, the potential of natural and pretreated palm tree trunk (PTT) as agents for adsorption of an organic dye, 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (2,6-DCPIP) from aqueous solutions was probed. Natural and acetic acid treated PTT were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and by the point of zero charge (pzc). The biosorption of 2,6-DCPIP was investigated in batch mode using natural and treated PTT. This study was achieved by highlighting several parameters such as the contact time, biosorbents dosage, the initial concentration of 2,6-DCPIP, the pH of the solution, the ionic strength and the interfering ions. The results showed that 2,6-DCPIP was successfully adsorbed from aqueous solutions by natural and treated PTT. The equilibrium was attained after 40 minutes for treated PTT and 20 minutes for natural PTT. The maximum capacity of adsorption was obtained at pH = 2. The adsorption isotherms were investigated and it was found that the experimental data were best described by the Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm for the natural PTT (R² = 0.979) and by the Temkin isotherm for the treated PTT (R² = 0.976). The maximum adsorption capacities determined by Langmuir isotherm were found as 108.932 and 157.233 μmol·g^–1 for natural and treated PTT, respectively. The adsorption kinetics was analyzed and was best described by the pseudo-second order model (R² ≥ 0.998). The diffusion mechanism was studied and the result showed that external mass transfer is the main rate controlling step. The desorption of 2,6-DCPIP is favorable in alkaline medium.

Biosorption, Palm Tree Trunk, 2, 6-Dichlorophenolindophenol, Isotherms, Kinetics, Desorption

Ngaha, M. , Djemmoe, L. , Njanja, E. and Kenfack, I. (2018) Biosorption Isotherms and Kinetics Studies for the Removal of 2,6-Dichlorophenolindophenol Using Palm Tree Trunk (Elaeis guineensis). Journal of Encapsulation and Adsorption Sciences, 8, 156-177. doi: 10.4236/jeas.2018.83008.