Methylene blue and iodine adsorption onto an activated desert plant

Abstract

Résumé : Although frequently less toxic than many colorless effluents, colored effluents are generally considered by the public as an indicator of pollution. The present investigation aimed at identifying the effectiveness of a local desert plant characteristic of Southwest Algeria and known as Salsola vermiculata, which was pyrolyzed and treated chemically with a 50% zinc chloride solution, to remove methylene blue and iodine. The natural plant adsorption capacities were respectively 23 mg/g and 272 mg/g for methylene blue and iodine. Corresponding results for the pyrolyzed plant uptakes were 53 mg/g and 951 mg/g, while those for the pyrolyzed plant, chemically treated and activated at 650 °C, were 130 mg/g and 1178 mg/g, respectively. In comparison, the standard Merck activated carbon capacities were 200 mg/g for methylene blue and 950 mg/g for iodine. Consequently, this low-cost local plant may also prove useful …