Thermal Carbonization of Biomass Wood Dust and Algae Wastes via Microwave-Assisted H₃PO₄: Desirability Function and Statistical Optimization for Methylene Blue Dye Removal

Authors

• Raja Razuan Raja Derisa, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia AND Advanced Biomaterials and Carbon Development (ABCD) Research Group, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
• Hazierul F. Awang, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia AND Advanced Biomaterials and Carbon Development (ABCD) Research Group, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
• Muhammad Hakim Azman, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
• Intan Nur Hidayah Abdul Rashid, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
• Ahmad Hapiz, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia AND Advanced Biomaterials and Carbon Development (ABCD) Research Group, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
• Ruihong Wu, Deparment of Chemistry, Hengshui University, 053500 Hebei Province, Hengshui, China
• Abdallah Reghioua, Fac. Technology, University of El Oued, 39000 El Oued, Algeria
• Zaher Mundher Yaseen, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
• Lee D. Wilson, Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. S7N 5C9 CanadaFollow

Corresponding Author

Lee D. Wilson

Authors ORCID

0000-0002-0688-3102

Abstract

This research utilized a carbonization procedure via microwave irradiation assisted by H₃PO₄ to generate a cost-effective adsorbent (CWDAG) from wood dust (WD) and algal (AG) biomass. The resulting CWDAG adsorbent was characterized for its methylene blue (MB) dye adsorption properties. The activation process employs 800 W microwave radiation for 15 min under a nitrogen gas (99.99%) atmosphere. Multiple techniques were employed to study the physicochemical properties of CWDAG, such as FTIR, XRD, FSEM-EDX, pH_pzc, and BET. Box-Behnken design (BBD) was employed to optimize the three important parameters of adsorption, as follows: A: CWDAG dosage (0.02–0.12 g), B: pH (4–10), and C: contact time (30–420) min. BBD results show the highest removal of MB (98.6%) was met with a contact period of 225 min, a dosage of 0.12 g/100 mL of CWDAG at pH 10. Analysis of the kinetic profiles show that MB adsorption onto CWDAG occurred via a pseudo-second order (PSO) model. Adsorption isotherm analysis at equilibrium confirm that the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models fit the equilibrium data with similar goodness-of-fit results. Based on the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) of CWDAG for MB is 32.3 mg/g. The possible mechanism of MB adsorption on the CWDAG surface include several contributions such as π–π stacking, H-bonding electrostatic forces, and pore filling.

Recommended Citation

Raja Derisa, Raja Razuan; Awang, Hazierul F.; Hakim Azman, Muhammad; Rashid, Intan Nur Hidayah Abdul; Hapiz, Ahmad; Wu, Ruihong; Reghioua, Abdallah; Yaseen, Zaher Mundher; and Wilson, Lee D. (2025), Thermal Carbonization of Biomass Wood Dust and Algae Wastes via Microwave-Assisted H₃PO₄: Desirability Function and Statistical Optimization for Methylene Blue Dye Removal, AUIQ Complementary Biological System: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, 60-76.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70176/3007-973X.1023
Available at: https://acbs.alayen.edu.iq/journal/vol2/iss1/5

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.70176/3007-973X.1023