Synthesis and characterization of novel lignocellulosic biomass-derived activated carbon for dye removal: Machine learning optimization, mechanisms, and antibacterial properties

Abstract

Transforming waste materials into valuable products plays a crucial role in promoting sustainability and protecting environment. In this study, activated carbon derived from sugarcane bagasse, a lignocellulosic biomass source, was coated with iron and manganese for the adsorption and photodegradation of Acid Black 1 (AB1) dye from aqueous solutions. The effects of various parameters were investigated using Central Composite Design (CCD) and a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) algorithm. The results of the characterization indicated that the iron and manganese particles were uniformly dispersed on the activated carbon. While CCD determined ideal parameters to be an initial concentration of 20.15 mg L⁻¹, a dose of 25 mg/30 mL, a pH of 5, and a time of 40 min, the MLP Algorithm proposed slightly different conditions: an initial concentration of 26.66 mg L⁻¹, dose of 25 mg, pH of 5.0, and a time of 25.05 min. Despite these differences, both methods projected impressive AB1 removal efficiency, 100 % for CCD and 99.02 % for MLP, underscoring the potential effectiveness of these strategies in AB1 mitigation. Concentration emerged as the predominant factor influencing the removal process, as determined by the MLP algorithm. The results showed that the major active species in the degradation of AB1 were e_cb⁻ and ^•O₂⁻, while h_vb ⁺ species also participated to some extent, and triethanolamine (TEOA) had a minor effect on the degradation efficiency. The nanocomposite exhibited a high antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, resulting in a large zone of inhibition. The optimized nanocomposite could be used as an effective nanomaterial to remove hazardous contaminants.