Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, cilt.106, ss.1-10, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
This study investigates, for the first time, the potential of Thujaplicata (TP) cone-derived activated carbon for the removal of theazo dye Reactive Red 2 (RR2) from aqueous solutions. Activatedcarbon was produced via microwave irradiation to enhance theadsorption capacity of the raw material. The prepared activatedcarbon (TPAC), synthesised using a chemical activating agent, wascharacterised by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), EnergyDispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier TransformInfrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). SEM analysis demonstrated thatTPAC exhibited increased surface porosity and an irregular mor-phology after adsorption at the optimal pH. EDX results confirmedthat carbon and oxygen were the dominant elements, with ele-vated contents post-activation. BET analysis indicated a decrease inthe specific surface area from 66.64 to 20.35 m2 g−1 after RR2adsorption, likely due to pore blockage. Batch adsorption experi-ments were conducted to evaluate the influence of several para-meters, including solution pH, adsorbent dosage, initial dyeconcentration, and temperature. The maximum removal efficiency(54%) was achieved at pH 3 with an adsorbent dosage of 0.01 g. Theadsorption capacity increased with rising dye concentration, reach-ing a maximum of 309.56 mg g−1 at 60 mg L−1. Adsorption iso-therms, kinetics, and thermodynamic properties were alsoevaluated. The Freundlich isotherm model exhibited the best fitto the equilibrium data, indicating multilayer adsorption ona heterogeneous surface. Kinetic data were best described by thepseudo-second-order model, suggesting that chemisorption wasthe rate-limiting step. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed that theadsorption of RR2 onto TPAC was a spontaneous and exothermicprocess.