Comparative Analysis of the Adsorption Kinetics of the Methylene Blue Dye on Graphene Aerogel and Activated Coconut Carbon

Abstract

The comparative adsorption capacity of graphene aerogel and activated coconut carbon in the process of removing the main cationic synthetic dye, methylene blue (MB), from aqueous solutions with an initial concentration of 150 mg/l was investigated. The characteristics of the new material have been determined using scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, and Raman spectroscopy. The values of the adsorption capacity of graphene aerogel – 420 mg/g and activated carbon – 205 mg/g were established. The saturation time in the presence of graphene aerogel was 7 min. The experimental data were processed using kinetic models – pseudo-first and pseudo-second order, Elovich and intraparticle diffusion. According to the results obtained, graphene aerogel is a promising sorption material in the extraction of molecular organic pollutants, namely, synthetic dyes, demonstrating a high efficiency of the target pollutant removal.