The production of a novel adsorbent from forest waste (Platanus orientalis L.) for dye adsorption: Adsorption process optimization and experimental design

[Display omitted] •High surface area (876.01 m² g⁻¹) activated carbon was produced from forest waste.•The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) was determined as 198.01 mg g⁻¹.•Surface response method was used for the optimization of methylene blue adsorption process.•The novel adsorbent is promising due to its unique surface morphology and strong adsorption capabilities. In the study, a novel activated carbon material was produced using forest waste commonly found in nature. The activation was completed by modifying the surface of the material with H3PO4. Using this adsorbent material, we investigated the adsorption of the hazardous dyestuff, methylene blue, from the water environment. The adsorbent was characterized using BET, SEM, and FT-IR analyses. The characterization processes revealed that the adsorbent has a wealth of functional groups and many cavities and protrusions on its surface. Moreover, according to the BET analysis result, it was observed that it is an adsorbent with a high surface area (876.01 m2 g−1). Kinetic, equilibrium and thermodynamic studies have been conducted to fully understand the nature of methylene blue adsorption. The pseudo-second order kinetic model best represents the adsorption process data, and the Langmuir isotherm aligns with the equilibrium data. According to the Langmuir isotherm data, the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) was determined to be 198.01 mg g−1. The thermodynamic results showed that the process of adsorption of methylene blue on various surfaces is spontaneous and occurs via physisorption. Additionally, in addition, the effects of the parameters (adsorbent dose, time, and concentration) determined for the methylene blue adsorption process were optimized using the surface response method. Activated carbon from plane tree fruits (Platanus orientalis L.) has the potential to be a novel adsorbent due to its unique surface morphology and strong adsorption capabilities.