Utilization of Composts for Adsorption of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solutions: Kinetics and Equilibrium Studies

Utilization of composts as low-cost adsorbents is an important application in the field of environmental remediation, but these materials have not yet been extensively used for dye removal. In this work, we have studied the characteristics of adsorption of methylene blue onto two composts (a municipal solid waste compost and a pine bark compost). Kinetics and equilibrium batch experiments testing the influence of adsorbent particle size, solution pH and ionic strength were performed. Both composts have a high adsorption capacity for methylene blue, similar to other low-cost adsorbents. Kinetics of adsorption followed a pseudo-first-order model, with maximum adsorption reached after a contact time of two hours. Equilibrium adsorption followed a Langmuir model in general. Reduction of particle size only increased adsorption slightly for composted pine bark. Increase in ionic strength had no effect on adsorption by municipal solid waste compost, but increased adsorption by composted pine bark. Modification of pH between 5 and 7 did not influence adsorption in any case. Overall, the results suggest that electrostatic interaction between the cationic dye and the anionic functional groups in the composts is not the only mechanism involved in adsorption. In conclusion, the use of composts for dye removal is a likely application, in particular for those composts presenting limitations for agricultural use.