Tomato leaves as a sustainable biosorbent for the effective removal of some organic dyes and lead from water
IntroductionWater, an essential component for life and agriculture, is increasingly threatened by contamination. Industrial wastewater is a major source of pollution that continues to negatively impact ecosystems and human health. It contains contaminants such as dyes, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals,...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1615815/full |
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| author | Layan Helmi Suhair Sunoqrot Akram Hijazi Maria Alayli Hiba N. Rajha Maram Al Bakri Mohammad H. El-Dakdouki Nada El Darra |
| author_facet | Layan Helmi Suhair Sunoqrot Akram Hijazi Maria Alayli Hiba N. Rajha Maram Al Bakri Mohammad H. El-Dakdouki Nada El Darra |
| author_sort | Layan Helmi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionWater, an essential component for life and agriculture, is increasingly threatened by contamination. Industrial wastewater is a major source of pollution that continues to negatively impact ecosystems and human health. It contains contaminants such as dyes, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides, emphasizing the urgent need for effective water purification methods. This study investigates the valorization of tomato leaves as a potential adsorbent for these pollutants.MethodsCharacterization of untreated and contaminant-treated tomato leaves by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microcopy (SEM), confirmed the presence of significant functional group interactions and surface active sites suited for adsorption.ResultsTomato leaves demonstrated significant adsorption capabilities for contaminants like methylene blue, malachite green, crystal violet, and lead, achieving removal efficiencies of 90.7% ± 0.3, 93.6% ± 0.5, 89.8% ± 0.6, and 78.4% ± 0.2, respectively, at an initial contaminant concentration of 20 mg/L. High adsorption effectiveness was also observed across various dye concentrations (5-25 mg/L) and contact times (5-120 min). Isotherm analysis indicated that lead adsorption followed the Langmuir model and Henry adsorption isotherm with a maximum adsorption capacity of 45.77 mg/g, while dyes aligned with the Freundlich model, with adsorption kinetics best fitting the pseudo-second order model in all cases.DiscussionTo our knowledge, this is the first study to comprehensively evaluate the adsorption of both heavy metals (Pb2+) and three structurally different cationic dyes using raw, unmodified tomato leaves. This provides a sustainable, cost-effective, and green solution for the removal of diverse pollutants from water. Future work can explore enhancing the efficiency of decontamination and real-life application, including performing field trials in diverse environmental and industrial wastewater scenarios. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f0cbd5bb022e49ec88a1360fdbb30dfb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-665X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-f0cbd5bb022e49ec88a1360fdbb30dfb2025-08-20T03:39:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2025-08-011310.3389/fenvs.2025.16158151615815Tomato leaves as a sustainable biosorbent for the effective removal of some organic dyes and lead from waterLayan Helmi0Suhair Sunoqrot1Akram Hijazi2Maria Alayli3Hiba N. Rajha4Maram Al Bakri5Mohammad H. El-Dakdouki6Nada El Darra7Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, LebanonFaculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, JordanDoctoral School of Science and Technology, Research Platform for Environmental Science (PRASE), Lebanese University, Beirut, LebanonDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, LebanonDépartement de Génie Chimique et Pétrochimique, Faculté d’Ingénierie, Ecole Supérieure d’Ingénieurs de Beyrouth (ESIB), Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, Beirut, LebanonDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, LebanonDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, LebanonDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, LebanonIntroductionWater, an essential component for life and agriculture, is increasingly threatened by contamination. Industrial wastewater is a major source of pollution that continues to negatively impact ecosystems and human health. It contains contaminants such as dyes, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides, emphasizing the urgent need for effective water purification methods. This study investigates the valorization of tomato leaves as a potential adsorbent for these pollutants.MethodsCharacterization of untreated and contaminant-treated tomato leaves by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microcopy (SEM), confirmed the presence of significant functional group interactions and surface active sites suited for adsorption.ResultsTomato leaves demonstrated significant adsorption capabilities for contaminants like methylene blue, malachite green, crystal violet, and lead, achieving removal efficiencies of 90.7% ± 0.3, 93.6% ± 0.5, 89.8% ± 0.6, and 78.4% ± 0.2, respectively, at an initial contaminant concentration of 20 mg/L. High adsorption effectiveness was also observed across various dye concentrations (5-25 mg/L) and contact times (5-120 min). Isotherm analysis indicated that lead adsorption followed the Langmuir model and Henry adsorption isotherm with a maximum adsorption capacity of 45.77 mg/g, while dyes aligned with the Freundlich model, with adsorption kinetics best fitting the pseudo-second order model in all cases.DiscussionTo our knowledge, this is the first study to comprehensively evaluate the adsorption of both heavy metals (Pb2+) and three structurally different cationic dyes using raw, unmodified tomato leaves. This provides a sustainable, cost-effective, and green solution for the removal of diverse pollutants from water. Future work can explore enhancing the efficiency of decontamination and real-life application, including performing field trials in diverse environmental and industrial wastewater scenarios.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1615815/fulladsorptionheavy metalsindustrial wastewatersustainable purificationtomato leaveswater contamination |
| spellingShingle | Layan Helmi Suhair Sunoqrot Akram Hijazi Maria Alayli Hiba N. Rajha Maram Al Bakri Mohammad H. El-Dakdouki Nada El Darra Tomato leaves as a sustainable biosorbent for the effective removal of some organic dyes and lead from water Frontiers in Environmental Science adsorption heavy metals industrial wastewater sustainable purification tomato leaves water contamination |
| title | Tomato leaves as a sustainable biosorbent for the effective removal of some organic dyes and lead from water |
| title_full | Tomato leaves as a sustainable biosorbent for the effective removal of some organic dyes and lead from water |
| title_fullStr | Tomato leaves as a sustainable biosorbent for the effective removal of some organic dyes and lead from water |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tomato leaves as a sustainable biosorbent for the effective removal of some organic dyes and lead from water |
| title_short | Tomato leaves as a sustainable biosorbent for the effective removal of some organic dyes and lead from water |
| title_sort | tomato leaves as a sustainable biosorbent for the effective removal of some organic dyes and lead from water |
| topic | adsorption heavy metals industrial wastewater sustainable purification tomato leaves water contamination |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1615815/full |
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