Adsorptive removal of an acid dye by lignocellulosic waste biomass activated carbon: Equilibrium and kinetic studies

► New adsorbent prepared from lignocellusoic biomass and characterized. ► Adsorptive efficacy tested for removal of Amido Black 10B dye from aqueous solution. ► High efficiency occurred at below zero point charge of the adsorbent. ► Adsorption data analyzed with Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. ► % Adsorption increases with decreasing particle size and increasing temperature. Chemically prepared activated carbon material derived from palm flower was used as adsorbent for removal of Amido Black dye in aqueous solution. Batch adsorption studies were performed for the removal of Amido Black 10B (AB10B), a di-azo acid dye from aqueous solutions by varying the parameters like initial solution pH, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration and temperature with three different particle sizes such as 100 μm, 600 μm and 1000 μm. The zero point charge was pH 2.5 and the maximum adsorption occurred at the pH 2.3. Experimental data were analyzed by model equations such as Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms and it was found that the Freundlich isotherm model best fitted the adsorption data and the Freundlich constants varied from ( K F ) 1.214, 1.077 and 0.884 for the three mesh sizes. Thermodynamic parameters such as Δ G, Δ H and Δ S were also calculated for the adsorption processes and found that the adsorption process is feasible and it was the endothermic reaction. Adsorption kinetics was determined using pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order rate equations and also Elovich model and intraparticle diffusion models. The results clearly showed that the adsorption of AB10B onto lignocellulosic waste biomass from palm flower (LCBPF) followed pseudo second-order model, and the pseudo second-order rate constants varied from 0.059 to 0.006 (g mg −1 min) by varying initial adsorbate concentration from 25 mg L −1 to 100 mg L −1. Analysis of the adsorption data confirmed that the adsorption process not only followed intraparticle diffusion but also by the film diffusion mechanism.