Preparation of food waste - derived biochar for adsorption of methylene blue

Sahimi, Anisah (2026) Preparation of food waste - derived biochar for adsorption of methylene blue. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

Text S34110 - ANISAH BINTI SAHIMI.pdf Download (2MB)

Abstract

Food waste-derived biochar (BC) was synthesized from mixed food waste collected from offshore and marine vessels and evaluated for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. BC was produced by carbonization at 300 °C, 500 °C, and 700 °C. Physicochemical characterization shows that increasing carbonization temperature improves structural stability, surface roughness, and aromaticity. BC prepared at 700 °C exhibits well-developed porosity, enhanced thermal stability, and a heterogeneous carbon matrix, making it the most effective adsorbent among the prepared samples. Batch adsorption experiments reveal that MB removal is strongly influenced by operating conditions. Adsorption capacity increases with BC dosage, with optimal performance at 50 mg. Solution pH exerts a dominant effect, with maximum removal achieved under alkaline conditions at pH 12.21 due to electrostatic attraction between negatively charged BC surfaces and cationic MB. Temperature enhances adsorption performance, with the highest uptake recorded at 45 °C, indicating an endothermic process. Under optimized conditions, BC achieves an equilibrium adsorption capacity of approximately 47–49 mg/g and removal efficiency exceeding 95% for initial MB concentrations of 5–20 mg/L within 120 min. Kinetic analysis shows that adsorption follows the pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic model with high correlation coefficients, confirming chemisorption as the rate-controlling step, while poor agreement with the pseudo-first-order (PFO) kinetic model excludes diffusion-controlled uptake. Regeneration studies demonstrate that BC retains 93.49% removal efficiency in the first cycle and remains above 80% after two cycles, with a gradual decline to 62.83% after four cycles. A bottom-up cost analysis estimates the laboratory-scale production cost at approximately RM 2.07/g, dominated by energy consumption, with negligible raw material cost due to waste-derived feedstock. Overall, MB adsorption onto food waste-derived BC proceeds via synergistic electrostatic attraction, π–π interactions, and hydrogen bonding on a heterogeneous surface. The combination of high adsorption efficiency, moderate regeneration stability, and low production cost highlights food- waste derived BC as a promising, scalable adsorbent for dye-contaminated wastewater treatment.

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Humanities, Management and Science
Depositing User:	Ms. Hairoon Juhaili
Date Deposited:	20 Jul 2026 07:54
Last Modified:	20 Jul 2026 07:54
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/2892

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