Utilization of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Hull Based Activated Carbon for the Removal of Amaranth Dye from Aqueous Solutions

This research work is concerned with the investigation of removing amaranth foodstuff dye on activated carbon derived from peanut hulls (ACPH) as a low-cost adsorbent. The influence of different reaction parameters affecting dye uptake including pH, shaking speed, particle size, temperature, initial dye concentration, and contact time were investigated for proper selection of the optimized parameters for the removal process. By using ACPH, 76.92 mg/g adsorption capacity was achieved under agitation time of 90 min at pH 4 and temperature 60°C. Results clearly demonstrate that experimental equilibrium data were fitted to Langmuir isotherm to a greater extent than Freundlich isotherm. Kinetics of amaranth dye on peanut hulls was found to follow pseudo-second-order kinetics. Results indicated that ACPH is a good adsorbent for removing amaranth dye from wastewater.