JE OSSAI

The discharge of untreated textile wastewater containing synthetic dyes poses significant environmental and public health risks due to its toxicity and resistance to conventional degradation processes. This research explores a sustainable and cost-effective solution by developing and evaluating a novel activated carbon (AC) adsorbent derived from a blend of two abundant agricultural wastes: Palm Kernel Shell (PKS) and Coconut Shell (CS).This study aimed to treat synthetic wastewater contaminated with Methyl Red dye. The PKS and CS were individually carbonized and chemically activated using potassium hydroxide (KOH). The resulting activated carbons were blended in a 1:1 ratio to create a composite adsorbent (PKS-CS AC). The adsorbent was extensively characterized using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, which revealed a specific surface area of 275.762 m²/g and a well-developed microporous and mesoporous structure, complemented by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) that identified key functional groups (O-H, C=O, C-O) crucial for adsorption.A series of batch adsorption experiments were conducted, and the process was optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on a Central Composite Design (CCD). The influence of critical operational parameters—adsorbent dosage (PKS-AC and CS-AC), contact time, and initial dye concentration—on Methyl Red removal efficiency was investigated. The ANOVA of the quadratic model confirmed its high significance, with an R² value of 0.9501, indicating the model accurately represented the experimental data. The optimization results identified the optimal conditions as 1.65 g/L of CS-AC, 6.13 g/L of PKS-AC, a contact time of 70.75 minutes, and an initial dye concentration of 328.1 mg/L, achieving a predicted dye removal efficiency of 93.75%