Synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide-doped activated charcoal for methylene blue adsorption from water

This study focuses on the synthesis of zinc oxide-doped activated charcoal derived from animal waste, to enhance its adsorptive properties for water treatment applications. The primary aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of ZnO/AAC as an adsorbent for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions commonly found in wastewater. The objective was also to develop an innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable approach for MB removal from wastewater effluents. To achieve this, ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using the sol–gel method and subsequently incorporated into activated animal charcoal (AAC). The methodology involved synthesizing ZnO/AAC and characterizing it using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses to confirm successful material formation. Characterization of the materials was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to assess their morphological properties, crystalline structures, and the impact of adsorption on surface functional groups. The adsorption efficiency of MB was evaluated based on various parameters including dye concentration, contact time, dosage of ZnO/ZnO-AAC, temperature, and solution pH. Key results indicated that the introduction of ZnO improved the surface morphology and porosity of AAC, leading to a significant increase in MB removal efficiency, achieving 98% compared to 73% with pure ZnO. The findings suggest that ZnO/AAC is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly adsorbent with promising potential for removing MB in water treatment processes and highlighting its applicability as a viable solution for environmental remediation.