Harnessing thermally treated drinking water sludge: a sustainable approach for the removal of crystal violet and congo red from wastewater

Abstract This study investigates the utilization of thermally treated drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) as an eco-friendly adsorbent for the removal of Congo Red (CR) and Crystal Violet (CV) dyes from wastewater, aligning with circular economy principles. The research evaluates the adsorption p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Doaa A. El-Emam, Amany H. Elezaby, Mohammed A. Zeyadah, Mervat A. El-Sonbati
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02272-9
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849731820760858624
author Doaa A. El-Emam
Amany H. Elezaby
Mohammed A. Zeyadah
Mervat A. El-Sonbati
author_facet Doaa A. El-Emam
Amany H. Elezaby
Mohammed A. Zeyadah
Mervat A. El-Sonbati
author_sort Doaa A. El-Emam
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This study investigates the utilization of thermally treated drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) as an eco-friendly adsorbent for the removal of Congo Red (CR) and Crystal Violet (CV) dyes from wastewater, aligning with circular economy principles. The research evaluates the adsorption performance of DWTS by analyzing various factors, including pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage and initial dye concentration. Kinetic and isotherm studies were conducted to elucidate the performance of the adsorbent and investigate the adsorption mass transfer mechanisms. Characterization of the DWTS adsorbent was performed using Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Zeta potential, point of zero charge, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The results revealed that the optimal conditions for dye removal were established at 120 min, 2 g adsorbent dosage, 50 mg/L dye concentration, pH5 and pH9, achieving 94.3% and 86.9% for CR and CV, respectively. The dye adsorption equilibrium data fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm model with monolayer maximum adsorption capacity of 21.368 and 10.1419 mg/g for CR and CV dye, respectively. In addition, the kinetic studies showed rapid sorption dynamics following a First-order kinetic model. Moreover, the intra particle diffusion and Elovich models exhibited high correlation coefficient values indicating a contribution of physical and chemical adsorption process. These findings suggest that DWTS is a cost-effective and viable alternative for dye removal in wastewater treatment, with implications for sustainable waste management practices. Additionally, recommendations for the safe disposal of spent adsorbents are discussed, highlighting potential applications in construction materials.
format Article
id doaj-art-c3ee577ae4864ecf907cf2dde818aecc
institution DOAJ
issn 2045-2322
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj-art-c3ee577ae4864ecf907cf2dde818aecc2025-08-20T03:08:25ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111810.1038/s41598-025-02272-9Harnessing thermally treated drinking water sludge: a sustainable approach for the removal of crystal violet and congo red from wastewaterDoaa A. El-Emam0Amany H. Elezaby1Mohammed A. Zeyadah2Mervat A. El-Sonbati3Environmental Science Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta UniversityEnvironmental Science Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta UniversityEnvironmental Science Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta UniversityEnvironmental Science Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta UniversityAbstract This study investigates the utilization of thermally treated drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) as an eco-friendly adsorbent for the removal of Congo Red (CR) and Crystal Violet (CV) dyes from wastewater, aligning with circular economy principles. The research evaluates the adsorption performance of DWTS by analyzing various factors, including pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage and initial dye concentration. Kinetic and isotherm studies were conducted to elucidate the performance of the adsorbent and investigate the adsorption mass transfer mechanisms. Characterization of the DWTS adsorbent was performed using Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Zeta potential, point of zero charge, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The results revealed that the optimal conditions for dye removal were established at 120 min, 2 g adsorbent dosage, 50 mg/L dye concentration, pH5 and pH9, achieving 94.3% and 86.9% for CR and CV, respectively. The dye adsorption equilibrium data fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm model with monolayer maximum adsorption capacity of 21.368 and 10.1419 mg/g for CR and CV dye, respectively. In addition, the kinetic studies showed rapid sorption dynamics following a First-order kinetic model. Moreover, the intra particle diffusion and Elovich models exhibited high correlation coefficient values indicating a contribution of physical and chemical adsorption process. These findings suggest that DWTS is a cost-effective and viable alternative for dye removal in wastewater treatment, with implications for sustainable waste management practices. Additionally, recommendations for the safe disposal of spent adsorbents are discussed, highlighting potential applications in construction materials.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02272-9Circular economyEnvironmental sustainabilityGlobal challengesSustainable waste management practicesWastewater treatment
spellingShingle Doaa A. El-Emam
Amany H. Elezaby
Mohammed A. Zeyadah
Mervat A. El-Sonbati
Harnessing thermally treated drinking water sludge: a sustainable approach for the removal of crystal violet and congo red from wastewater
Scientific Reports
Circular economy
Environmental sustainability
Global challenges
Sustainable waste management practices
Wastewater treatment
title Harnessing thermally treated drinking water sludge: a sustainable approach for the removal of crystal violet and congo red from wastewater
title_full Harnessing thermally treated drinking water sludge: a sustainable approach for the removal of crystal violet and congo red from wastewater
title_fullStr Harnessing thermally treated drinking water sludge: a sustainable approach for the removal of crystal violet and congo red from wastewater
title_full_unstemmed Harnessing thermally treated drinking water sludge: a sustainable approach for the removal of crystal violet and congo red from wastewater
title_short Harnessing thermally treated drinking water sludge: a sustainable approach for the removal of crystal violet and congo red from wastewater
title_sort harnessing thermally treated drinking water sludge a sustainable approach for the removal of crystal violet and congo red from wastewater
topic Circular economy
Environmental sustainability
Global challenges
Sustainable waste management practices
Wastewater treatment
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02272-9
work_keys_str_mv AT doaaaelemam harnessingthermallytreateddrinkingwatersludgeasustainableapproachfortheremovalofcrystalvioletandcongoredfromwastewater
AT amanyhelezaby harnessingthermallytreateddrinkingwatersludgeasustainableapproachfortheremovalofcrystalvioletandcongoredfromwastewater
AT mohammedazeyadah harnessingthermallytreateddrinkingwatersludgeasustainableapproachfortheremovalofcrystalvioletandcongoredfromwastewater
AT mervataelsonbati harnessingthermallytreateddrinkingwatersludgeasustainableapproachfortheremovalofcrystalvioletandcongoredfromwastewater