Removal of acridine orange dye from aqueous solution by adsorption onto dried sugar beet pulp

A simple, low cost, and effective method for the removal of acridine orange (AO), a mutagenic cationic dye, from aqueous model solutions by adsorption onto dried sugar beet pulp (SBP) was evaluated in the present study. The AO removal was enhanced along with the increase of the initial solution pH and dye concentration. It was found that the adsorption process closely follows a pseudo-second-order chemisorption kinetics. The obtained equilibrium data obey both the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. The SBP was proved to be very promising adsorbent for AO removal. Maximum adsorption capacity of the Langmuir monolayer of SBP for AO was found to be 5.37, 34.6, 89.62, 144.53 and 324.58 mg/g, at 25°C for the solution pH of 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8, respectively. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR-31002