Removal of reactive red 45 dye from aqueous solution using activated carbon developed from Catha edulis stem as a potential biosorbent

Abstract Textile dyes pose considerable environmental problems, as they often contain harmful chemicals that contaminate the soil and water sources. This study investigated the use of activated carbon made from Catha edulis stems, a waste product from leaf consumption, for the biosorption of reactiv...

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Main Authors: Tadele Mihret, Nigus Gabbiye, Bisratewongel Tegegne, Dessie Tibebe, Agegnehu Alemu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09956-2
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author Tadele Mihret
Nigus Gabbiye
Bisratewongel Tegegne
Dessie Tibebe
Agegnehu Alemu
author_facet Tadele Mihret
Nigus Gabbiye
Bisratewongel Tegegne
Dessie Tibebe
Agegnehu Alemu
author_sort Tadele Mihret
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Textile dyes pose considerable environmental problems, as they often contain harmful chemicals that contaminate the soil and water sources. This study investigated the use of activated carbon made from Catha edulis stems, a waste product from leaf consumption, for the biosorption of reactive red 45 dye. The khat stems underwent a carbonization process followed by chemical activation using phosphoric acid. Various analytical techniques were used to examine the material’s physical and chemical characteristics. Results showed that the activated carbon possessed diverse functional groups (FTIR), an amorphous internal structure with crystalline carbon regions (XRD), and a surface morphology featuring irregular shapes, pores, deep cavities, and holes (SEM). It also had a point of zero charge (pHpzc) of 4.82 and a high BET surface area of 496.316 m²/g. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to assess dye removal efficiency and determine optimal removal conditions. The maximum removal efficiency of reactive red 45 dye was 94.5% under optimal conditions: pH 3.05, adsorbent dose 10.5 g/L, contact time 38.79 min, and an initial dye concentration of 50.4 mg/L. At these conditions, adsorption isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamics were analyzed. The equilibrium data fit well with the Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. These findings indicate that activated carbon developed from Catha edulis stem is a promising biosorbent for removing reactive red 45 dye from textile wastewater.
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spelling doaj-art-e4846c920d8c4038824fd5937e66f9aa2025-08-20T03:05:25ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111710.1038/s41598-025-09956-2Removal of reactive red 45 dye from aqueous solution using activated carbon developed from Catha edulis stem as a potential biosorbentTadele Mihret0Nigus Gabbiye1Bisratewongel Tegegne2Dessie Tibebe3Agegnehu Alemu4Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bahir Dar UniversityFaculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bahir Dar UniversityCollege of Science, Department of Chemistry, Bahir Dar UniversityDepartment of Chemistry, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, University of GondarCollege of Science, Department of Chemistry, Bahir Dar UniversityAbstract Textile dyes pose considerable environmental problems, as they often contain harmful chemicals that contaminate the soil and water sources. This study investigated the use of activated carbon made from Catha edulis stems, a waste product from leaf consumption, for the biosorption of reactive red 45 dye. The khat stems underwent a carbonization process followed by chemical activation using phosphoric acid. Various analytical techniques were used to examine the material’s physical and chemical characteristics. Results showed that the activated carbon possessed diverse functional groups (FTIR), an amorphous internal structure with crystalline carbon regions (XRD), and a surface morphology featuring irregular shapes, pores, deep cavities, and holes (SEM). It also had a point of zero charge (pHpzc) of 4.82 and a high BET surface area of 496.316 m²/g. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to assess dye removal efficiency and determine optimal removal conditions. The maximum removal efficiency of reactive red 45 dye was 94.5% under optimal conditions: pH 3.05, adsorbent dose 10.5 g/L, contact time 38.79 min, and an initial dye concentration of 50.4 mg/L. At these conditions, adsorption isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamics were analyzed. The equilibrium data fit well with the Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. These findings indicate that activated carbon developed from Catha edulis stem is a promising biosorbent for removing reactive red 45 dye from textile wastewater.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09956-2
spellingShingle Tadele Mihret
Nigus Gabbiye
Bisratewongel Tegegne
Dessie Tibebe
Agegnehu Alemu
Removal of reactive red 45 dye from aqueous solution using activated carbon developed from Catha edulis stem as a potential biosorbent
Scientific Reports
title Removal of reactive red 45 dye from aqueous solution using activated carbon developed from Catha edulis stem as a potential biosorbent
title_full Removal of reactive red 45 dye from aqueous solution using activated carbon developed from Catha edulis stem as a potential biosorbent
title_fullStr Removal of reactive red 45 dye from aqueous solution using activated carbon developed from Catha edulis stem as a potential biosorbent
title_full_unstemmed Removal of reactive red 45 dye from aqueous solution using activated carbon developed from Catha edulis stem as a potential biosorbent
title_short Removal of reactive red 45 dye from aqueous solution using activated carbon developed from Catha edulis stem as a potential biosorbent
title_sort removal of reactive red 45 dye from aqueous solution using activated carbon developed from catha edulis stem as a potential biosorbent
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09956-2
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