Optimization and evaluation of alkali-pretreated Paeonia ostii seed coats as adsorbent for the removal of MB from aqueous solution

A novel efficient adsorbent, alkali-pretreated Paeonia ostii seed coats (AP-PSC), was investigated for the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from solution. Orthogonal array design was applied to optimize the process parameters viz. alkali concentration, liquid-solid ratio (LSR) and pretreatment time. The results revealed that the optimal pretreatment conditions were at 0.8% (w/w) NaOH with LSR of 0.35 L g^–1  treating for 50 min. Equilibrium and kinetic studies indicated that Langmuir isotherm and Pseudo-second-order models described the experimental data well. The maximum adsorption capability was of 368.2 mg g^–1  for MB at 25°C. Thermodynamic parameters suggested that the AP-PSC adsorption process was physical, endothermic and spontaneous. Furthermore, the adsorption process was influenced by several interactive mechanisms, including ion-exchange, as well as Van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds that occur concomitantly. It was concluded that AP-PSC may be potential as an efficient adsorbent to remove MB from solution.