Tea Waste Biochar: A Low-Cost Solution for Methylene Blue Removal from Wastewater
Learn how scientists remove methylene blue from water using biochar made from tea waste—an affordable and eco-friendly way to address wastewater dye pollution.
💧 Overview: Tackling Dye Pollution with Sustainable Solutions
Dye-contaminated water from printing and textile industries poses severe environmental threats. Among these dyes, Methylene Blue (MB) is widely used but highly toxic when released into natural water sources. To combat this, researchers have developed biochar made from leftover tea leaves, providing an economical and sustainable treatment option.
🌱 Biochar from Tea Waste
In this study, scientists applied simple pyrolysis at 500°C to transform waste tea into biochar. Because of its high surface area and porous structure, the resulting material efficiently removes methylene blue from water.
Key findings include:
- Achieved up to 96.7% methylene blue removal.
- 120 minutes identified as the optimal contact time.
- Adsorption capacity: 8.28 mg/g.
- Best pH: 6.8 for maximum efficiency.
- Ideal dosage: 0.3 grams of biochar in 50 millilitres of solution.
🧪 Adsorption Behavior & Mechanism
The removal process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics and matches the Langmuir isotherm model, which indicates monolayer adsorption. Furthermore, the adsorption occurs through physical binding, pore filling, and surface interactions.
🌍 Environmental Significance
Using waste tea for biochar delivers multiple environmental benefits:
- Cuts organic waste that would otherwise contribute to landfill load.
- Transforms agricultural byproducts into high-value materials.
- Offers a cost-effective, green wastewater treatment option.
- Ensures local availability of adsorbents for communities without access to expensive technologies.
📚 Reference
Ali, Y. et al. (2023). Preparation of Biochar Derived from Waste Tea and its Application for Methylene Blue Removal. Journal of Water and Environmental Nanotechnology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119989
