Adsorption and Equilibrium Studies on the Removal of Methyl Red from Aqueous Solution Using White Potato Peel Powder

The potential of white potato peel powder for the removal of methyl red (MR) dye from aqueous solution was investigated. The adsorbent was characterized by FTIR and SEM analysis. Batch adsorption studies were conducted and various parameters such as contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, pH and temperature were studied to observe their effects in the dye adsorption process. The optimum conditions for the adsorption of MR onto the adsorbent (WPPP) was found to be contact (80 mins), pH (2) and temperature (303K) for an initial MR dye concentration of 50mg/l and adsorbent dose of 1.0g. The experimental equilibrium adsorption data of the (MR) dye fitted best and well to the Freundlich isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 30.48mg/g for the adsorption of MR. The kinetic data conforms to the pseudo – second order kinetic model.