Preparation of adsorbent using sugarcane bagasse by chemical treatment for the adsorption of methylene blue

The main emphasis of the present study was to prepare a low-cost adsorbent using sugarcane bagasse for the adsorption of methylene blue. Chemical activation using di-potassium hydrogen phosphate (K2HPO4) was employed for the preparation of activated carbon by one-factor-at-a time methodology using batch operation. Different process parameters such as K2HPO4 concentration, impregnation time, temperature, and impregnation ratio were optimized for the chemical treatment of bagasse. The optimized protocol yielded 136.84 mg/g binding capacity in the activated carbon composed of 2 M K2HPO4 solution-treatedbagasse powder (treated for 6 h with an impregnation ratio of 0.0125 at 30°C temperature); while sugarcane bagasse without any pretreatment was found to have a binding capacity of 125.06 mg/g. The methylene blue adsorption capacity of the chemically treated adsorbent was compared to the commercial activated carbon. Reduction in the characteristic peak intensities of IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy studies indicates structural changes in chemically activated bagasse powder. Prepared adsorbent has tremendous potential for adsorption of harmful dyes and chemicals from polluted water system.