Please login first
Adsorption of methyl orange onto calcium ferrite for environmental sustainability
* 1, 2 , * 1
1  Department of Chemical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, 1045, Kaduna State, Nigeria
2  Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria
Academic Editor: Juan Francisco García Martín

Abstract:

Wastewater poses public and environmental problems when discharged into aquatic systems due to industrial, agricultural, or domestic activities. Water pollutants commonly found in effluents include dyes, surfactants, phenolics, chlorides, heavy metals, etc., which are detrimental to plants, animals, and human lives. These effects are noticeable in the slow photosynthetic activity of aquatic plants, which also serve as a breeding ground for bacteria, viruses, and vectors, leading to waterborne diseases. Herein, the potential of calcium ferrite (CaFe2O4) as an adsorbent for the removal of methyl orange (MO) dye from wastewater was evaluated by studying the adsorption kinetics. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out after reacting calcium chloride (CaCl2) with ferric nitrate (Fe(NO3)2), and the mixture was heated continuously at 90°C for two hours to form the CaFe2O4 precipitate, which was then calcined for four hours at 600°C in a furnace. The synthesized CaFe2O4 was found to have high adsorption capacity for MO, as evidenced by its ability to remove 80.02% of MO dye from wastewater within one hour. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity at equilibrium (qe) and at variable time (qt) for the kinetic model with a linear regression coefficient (R2) value of 0.9979 signifies that the adsorption process is best described by pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Thus, CaFe2O4 can be effectively used for the removal of dyes such as MO from wastewater to ensure sustainability.

Keywords: Water Pollution; Environmental; Calcium Ferrite; Adsorption; Kinetic Models.

 
 
Top