Adsorption of Brilliant blue FCF (B1) and Allura Red (R40) colorants on cocoa shell: kinetics of the process

The use of dyes in food industrial processes is limited due to significant pollution in aquatic receptors from their wastewater. To address this issue, this study focused on evaluating the adsorption of dyes Allura Red (R40) and Brilliant blue FCF (B1) using cocoa shells (CS) as an absorbent. To achieve this, a pre-treatment was applied, which involved washing, grinding and drying at a temperature of 80 °C for 24 h, followed by a sieving process. The effect of the adsorbent dose was then analyzed and it was calculated that the optimal dose was 4 g/L. Additionally, the effect of contact time was studied through a kinetic analysis, all tests were carried out at a pH level of 2. The obtained data were fitted to kinetic models, which allowed us to conclude that the adsorption kinetics fit two different models depending on the initial solution conditions, in a range from 0 to 0.1512 mmol/L. Specifically, the Pseudo Second-Order (PSO) model fitted R40, while the Elovich model was appropriate for B1. In summary, CS was found to be a viable adsorbent for dyes in contaminated waters.