Sustainable synthesis of engineered carbon from date palm leaves and steel industry residues for methylene blue removal

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

International Journal of Sustainable Engineering

Publication Date

11-5-2025

Abstract

Agricultural residues from date palms and alkaline by-products from steelmaking are abundant yet underutilised wastes. This study couples both streams to produce functional adsorbents via a fully aqueous, low-energy activation: date-palm biochar is treated directly with minimally processed leachates from five steel residues (baghouse dust, ladle-furnace slag, cyclone dust, electric-arc-furnace slag, and carbide-lime slurry). Temperature-controlled adsorption tests (35–61 °C) assessed thermodynamic behaviour and its influence on kinetics and capacity at environmentally relevant, dilute methylene blue (MB) levels (≈5–21 mg L⁻¹). Kinetics follow pseudo-second-order (R² > 0.98), confirming chemisorption-dominated uptake. Under identical conditions, slurry- and EAF-activated carbons achieved the highest removals (~64% and ~58%), surpassing untreated biochar (~55%). Equilibrium data (400 min, 25 °C) fit Langmuir > Freundlich models, while pH ≈ 9 optimised uptake and finer fractions (38–150 µm) enhanced rates. SEM/FTIR/XRD revealed mesoporous textures and surface functionalities (–OH/–COO⁻ and metal–oxygen motifs) linked to leachate chemistry. A harmonised workflow connects ionic composition (K⁺/Na⁺/Mg²⁺-rich vs. Ca²⁺-dominant leachates) to activation strength and performance. This proof-of-concept demonstrates dual-waste valorisation yielding reproducible dye removal without added acids/bases or high-temperature calcination, offering a foundation for scalable, circular water treatment integrating regeneration and life-cycle assessment.

ISSN

1939-7038

Publisher

Informa UK Limited

Volume

18

Issue

1

Disciplines

Environmental Engineering

Keywords

date palm biomass, Engineered carbon material, environmental remediation, kinetic modelling, methylene blue adsorption, steel-making waste, waste valorisation, water treatment

Scopus ID

105021085498

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

yes

Open Access Type

Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series

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