Biosorption of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution Using Xanthoceras sorbifolia Seed Coat Pretreated by Steam Explosion

Xanthoceras sorbifolia seed coat (XSSC) is a processing residue of the bioenergy crop. This work aimed to evaluate the applicability of using the steam explosion to modify the residue for dye biosorption from aqueous solutions by using methylene blue as a model cationic dye. Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for the biosorption of methylene blue on the steam-exploded XSSC (SE-XSSC) were evaluated. The kinetic data followed the pseudo-second-order model, and the rate-limiting step was the chemical adsorption. Intraparticle diffusion was one of the rate-controlling factors. The equilibrium data agreed well with the Langmuir isotherm, and the biosorption was favorable. The steam-explosion pretreatment strongly affected the biosorption in some respects. It reduced the adsorption rate constant and the initial sorption rate of the pseudo-second-order model. It enhanced the adsorption capacity of methylene blue at higher temperatures while reduced the capacity at lower ones. It changed the biosorption from an exothermic process driven by both the enthalpy and the entropy to an endothermic one driven by entropy only. It increased the surface area and decreased the pH point of zero charge of the biomass. Compared with the native XSSC, SE-XSSC is preferable to MB biosorption from warmer dye effluents.