Removal of Dispersed Dyes from Aqueous Solution Using Activated Carbon Prepared from Olive Stones

In order to valorize olive stones and to show its potential use in the sorption of two dispersed dyes, it was transformed in activate carbon and characterized. The effects of different system variables: pH, agitation speed, temperature and initial dye concentration were studied in the batch tests. The adsorption capacity of activated carbon for the dyes removal was found to be affected by the solution's pH. Acidic pH was found the favour disperse dyes removal. Over 95% removal was achieved for both the dyes at pH 3. The equilibrium time for both dyes was 30 min. Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms could be used to describe the adsorption of the dyes. Freundlich adsorption model succeeded in fitting the adsorption isotherms of dyes on olive stones activated carbon in single-solute systems, and prediction of the competitive adsorption behavior of dyes with the Freundlich-based Sheindorf-Rebuhn-Sheintuch (SRS) model gave acceptable results.