Adsorption of methylene blue and Orange II pollutants on activated carbon prepared from banana peel

Banana peel-activated carbon (BPAC) with a very high surface area of 1,950 m2 g−1 was prepared and investigated for the removal of methylene blue (MB) or Orange II dye molecules from aqueous solutions. Results of adsorption experiments showed that the BPAC exhibited high adsorption capacity with cationic dyes. The maximal Orange II and MB uptakes were determined to be more than 333 and 1,263 mg g−1, respectively. The zeta-potential analysis revealed that surface charge of BPAC is negative and hence the present activated carbon is excellent for adsorption of MB cationic dye from water. The adsorption equilibrium, kinetics, and thermodynamics of MB dye were investigated and the results indicated a monolayer chemical adsorption involving electrostatic attraction. BPAC was found to be a highly promising material for the effective removal of cationic contaminants such as MB dye from water.