In this study, acid treated Punica granatum (PG) peels were used for effective removal of Diamond green (DG) dye, commonly found in textile industry waste. Acid treatment enhanced the efficiency of this process along with increasing shelf life and stability of bio-adsorbent by reducing fungal attack risk. Optimized operational parameters for removing DG dye using PG peels powder were: 35-minute contact time, 75 rpm agitation speed, 50°C temperature and pH of 2. Isothermal study results showed that maximum dye removing capacity was 29.08 mg/g. ΔG and ΔH values were -6.384 and -0.05 kJ/mol, respectively indicating that DG dye adsorption on acid treated PG peels is spontaneous and exothermic in nature. It was found that for batch scale adsorptive removal of basic dyes like DG, acid treated Punica granatum peels were effective bio-waste that can be used from our indigenous sources in an effective way.
Keywords: Punica granatum peels; acid treatment; biosorption; diamond green dye.