Adsorption of Methyl orange from waste water using maize cobs powder as an Adsorbent.
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Date
2026-09-05
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Busitema University
Abstract
Methyl orange is a synthetic azo dye commonly used in laboratory and industrial applications, and its discharge into water bodies can cause environmental concerns due to its persistence and potential effects on aquatic ecosystems. This study investigated the potential of maize cob powder as a low-cost and readily available adsorbent for the removal of methyl orange from aqueous solutions. Maize cobs were collected, cleaned, dried, ground and sieved to obtain fine powder, which was used in batch adsorption experiments. The effects of contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, pH, and reusability on methyl orange removal were investigated. The residual dye concentration was determined using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 464 nm. Adsorption capacity and percentage removal were calculated from the initial and equilibrium dye concentrations. The results showed that methyl orange removal increased with increasing contact time, reaching 86.8% after 120 minutes. Increasing the adsorbent dosage from 0.1 to 0.6 g increased dye removal from 23.6% to 94.66%. However, percentage removal decreased as the initial dye concentration increased, from 92.9% at 10 mg/L to 32.0% at 100 mg/L. The adsorption process was strongly influenced by pH, with the highest removal efficiency of 87.2% observed at pH 2.0, while removal decreased to 24.4% at pH 12.0. Reusability experiments showed that the adsorbent maintained appreciable performance after four adsorption-desorption cycles, with removal efficiency decreasing from 94.5% in the first cycle to 75.8% in the fourth cycle. The study concludes that maize cob powder has considerable potential as a cheap, locally available and environmentally friendly adsorbent for removing methyl orange from contaminated water while promoting the beneficial utilization of agricultural waste.
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Chebet, B. (2026). Adsorption of methyl orange from waste water using Maize cobs powder as an adsorbent. [Undergraduate research report]. Busitema University.