Efficient removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous solution using a new biosorbent derived from Ensete ventricosum (Enset)

In this study, kocho was prepared from pseudostem and corm of Ensete ventricosum (enset).The behaviors of kocho were examined by using FESEM, TGA, XRD and FTIR spectroscopy. The biosorption potential of kocho, a possible low-cost new biosorbent for the efficient removal of MB dye from wastewater was investigated. Biosorption experiments were carried out in batch mode to study the effects of biosorbent dosages (0.025-0.2 g), pH (2–10), initial concentrations of MB (10 to 100 mg/L) and contact time (10 to 120 min).The highest removal efficiency of methylene blue dye (94.2%) was recorded at optimum experimental conditions. Following the removal study, it was determined that the pseudo-second order kinetics (R2 = 0.997) and Langmuir isothermal (R 2= 0.996) models may well describe the MB dye biosorption process. Furthermore, this newly developed biosorbent was fairly recyclable up to five cycles without significant loss of re-adsorption efficiency (around 9.6% loss) between 1st and 5th cycle.  Thus, the findings of this study revealed that a new kocho biosorbent derived from Ensete ventricosum can be used as a promising low-cost, environmentally friendly and efficient biosorbent for the rapid removal of MB from aqueous solutions. KEY WORDS: Kocho, Ensete ventricosum, Biosorption, Methylene blue, Kinetics, Isothermal Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2024, 38(1), 69-84. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v38i1.6