Applied Chemical Engineering

Comparative Evaluation of Activated and Non-Activated Sunflower Seed Husks surface for removal of Toxic Industrial Dyes

Uday Abdul-Reda Hussein

Department of pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Al-Ameed, Iraq

Hayder Hamid Abbas Al-Anbari

Ahl Al bayt University/ College of pharmacy/ Kerbala/ Iraq

Abed J. Kadhim

Department of Medical Laboratories Technology, AL-Nisour University College, Baghdad, Iraq

Fadhil M. Abid

Al-Hadi University College, Baghdad,10011, Iraq

Aseel M. Aljeboree

Department of chemistry, college of sciences for women, University of Babylon, Iraq

Ayad F. Alkaim

Department of chemistry, college of sciences for women, University of Babylon, Iraq

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/ace.v9i1.5781

Keywords: Activated carbon; Sunflower seed husks; Dyes, Removal; Adsorption

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Abstract

The adsorption of the potentially toxic industrial dyes, Acid Red 18 (AR18), Acid Yellow 23 (AY23), Reactive Yellow 84 (RY84), and Reactive Black 5 (RB5). was assessed in this work using non-activated and activated sunflower seed husks as environmentally sound adsorbents. Hydrochloric, phosphoric and sulfuric acids activated the sunflower seed husk, and the best chemical activation method was determined by surface morphology and the adsorption performance. The optimal temperature for thermal treatment to convert biomass into activated carbon has been established. The structural and chemical characteristics of the adsorbents were investigated by the characterization techniques such as Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The percentage removals of Reactive Yellow, Reactive Black 5, Acid Red, and Acid Yellow 23 were determined to be (95.02%, 90.00%, 85.00% and 70.00% for the acid-activated sunflower seed husks. These values were significantly higher than the adsorption capacities of non-activated husks, 80.02%, 75.27%, 55.70%, and 45.00%, respectively, for the corresponding dyes. The findings demonstrate an improvement in the properties of acid-activated sunflower seed husks in the adsorption of dyes (Reactive Black 5 and Acid Red), reflecting the influence of acid activation on expansion of the specific surface area and availability of functional groups. Adsorption efficiency was highest under acidic conditions due to enhanced electrostatic attraction between the adsorbent surface and dye molecules. Reactive dyes showed greater sensitivity to pH variation, with efficiency dropping sharply in alkaline media. In contrast, Acid dyes—particularly Acid Yellow—retained higher performance across the pH range, indicating additional binding mechanisms beyond electrostatic interactions.

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