An alternative source of adsorbent for the removal of dyes from textile waters: Posidonia oceanica (L.)

The dead leaves of Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile which is an endemic species in the Mediterranean sea were used as an alternative and low cost biomaterial for removal of Astrazon Red from wastewaters. Experiments were performed to investigate the impact of some parameters such as contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, etc. on the adsorption of Astrazon Red. Kinetic experiments revealed that the adsorption of Astrazon Red onto P. oceanica can be described with pseudo second-order model and the equilibrium isotherm data were well described by the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity of the biomass was found to be 68.97 mg/g at 25 °C. The results presented, that this waste material accumulated seasonally on the beaches may be a suitable adsorbent for decolorization of industrial effluents due to its low cost and sufficient adsorption capacity.

► P. oceanica is an important endemic sea grass in the Mediterranean Sea.
► The present study presents an alternative evaluation of P. oceanica dead leaves.
► This species was used as an adsorbent for the dynamic removal of cationic dye.
► Dead leaves of P. oceanica can be used in the removal of dyes from aqueous solutions.