Application of Response Surface Methodology for Optimization of Methylene Blue Removal by Casuarina equitifolia Leaves Powder

Dye is a type of colorants that are widely used in many industries. Many dyes are toxic in nature with suspected carcinogenic and mutagenic effects that affect aquatic lives and also human beings. Adsorption process is considered as eco-friendly method to remove color from the aqueous solution compared to other established method. In this study, Casuarina Equitifolia leaves were used as an adsorbent. The Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed, using a central composite design (CCD) to optimize the three important variables, i.e., initial dye concentration, pH of the dye solution and adsorbent dosage in order to remove of methylene blue from aqueous solution. From the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the value (>0.8) of the coefficient of determination (R2) was obtained. The optimal condition was established at pH 6.91, 0.1 g adsorbent dosage and 10ppm initial methylene blue concentration. The removal efficiency was found to be 98.80%. From the findings, it shows that Casuarina Equitifolia leaves powder is suitable to be used as an adsorbent in removal of color from aqueous solution.