Application of Response Surface Methodology for the Removal of Methylene Blue by Acacia Auriculiformis Scrap Wood Char

摘要

In the present decade, application of response surface methodology in developing char from various wood scarps for the removal of colored materials form domestic as well as industrial waste water has gained significant importance. Therefore, an activated carbon was developed from Acacia Auriculiformis scrap wood for the removal of methylene blue from its aqueous solution. The preparation conditions of the activated carbon were optimized by using response surface methodology through three levels Box-Behnken design. In this optimization procedure, three response variables namely surface area, methylene blue adsorption capacity and total pore volume were chosen whereas the input variables were carbonization temperature, carbonization time and nitrogen flowrate. The response surface methodology was based on the Box-Behnken design. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) depicted that the quadratic model was suitable for all the responses. The predicted and experimental values of responses were in reasonable agreement with each other. The optimum values of input variables were found to be 712°C, 2 h and 300 mL-1. The char prepared at optimum condition was found to have a surface area, MB adsorption capacity and total pore volume of 524.91 m2 g-1, 333.3 mg g-1 and 0.3476 cc g-1, respectively. Therefore, the char derived from Acacia Auriculiformis scrap wood showed greater efficacy towards methylene blue adsorption.