Activated Carbon from Fenugreek Seed: Characterization and Adsorption Properties for Dye removal

In this work, the preparation of activated carbons from agricultural product, the fenugreek seeds by two approaches, chemical and microwave activation methods were studied. The characterization of carbon materials were carried out using different techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Adsorption experiment was carried out for the adsorption of two different basic dyes, Methylene Blue (MB) and Crystal Violet (CV) under varying conditions such as concentration, agitation time and temperature. The data acquired from concentration variation were found to fit well with Langmuir and also Freundlich isotherms. Kinetic studies revealed the fact that the system followed second order adsorption rate. Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔH≠, ΔS≠ and ΔG≠ were calculated from the obtained data on adsorption at different temperature.