Eucheuma Cottonii Hydrochar: A Promising Adsorbent for Congo Red Dye
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26554/ijmr.20253264Keywords:
Eucheuma cottonii, Macroalgae, Hydrochar, Hydrothermal, Congo RedAbstract
This study investigates the transformation of Eucheuma cottonii (EC) into a highly efficient adsorbent through hydrothermal carbonization at 200°C, resulting in hydrochar (HC-200). The FT-IR analysis reveals significant structural changes, including reduced intensity of oxygenated functional groups such as carbonyl and hydroxyl, alongside increased aromaticity, contributing to enhanced hydrophobicity and structural stability. These alterations render HC-200 well-suited for adsorption applications. BET analysis highlights a marked increase in the specific surface area and mesoporosity of HC-200 compared to EC, with hysteresis loops confirming enhanced adsorption capacity. SEM imaging shows substantial morphological changes, including rougher surfaces, increased porosity, and the presence of spheroidal structures, indicative of successful carbonization and improved diffusivity. Adsorption studies underline HC-200's superior performance in anionic dye removal, with a maximum adsorption capacity 37.894 mg/g. pHpzc analysis demonstrates more acidic surface characteristics, which favor adsorption in acidic conditions. Adsorption kinetics align predominantly with the pseudo-second-order model, indicating chemisorption as the dominant mechanism. The regeneration study shows HC-200's excellent reusability, maintaining significant adsorption efficiency over seven cycles, whereas EC experiences a steep decline in performance.
References
Altaie, O. T. S., H. S. Jassim, and G. M. Hadi (2023). Removal of Congo Red from Aqueous Solutions by Adsorption onto Illite Clay. Desalination and Water Treatment, 310; 226–237.
Bach, L. G., T. Van Tran, T. D. Nguyen, T. Van Pham, and S. T. Do (2018). Enhanced Adsorption of Methylene Blue onto Graphene Oxide-Doped XFe2O4 (X = Co, Mn, Ni) Nanocomposites: Kinetic, Isothermal, Thermodynamic and Recyclability Studies. Research on Chemical Intermediates, 44(3); 1661–1687.
Blondeau, J. and H. Jeanmart (2012). Biomass Pyrolysis at High Temperatures: Prediction of Gaseous Species Yields from an Anisotropic Particle. Biomass and Bioenergy, 41; 107–121.
Bridgwater, A. V. (2012). Review of Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass and Product Upgrading. Biomass and Bioenergy, 38; 68–94.
Chen, N., S. Cao, L. Zhang, X. Peng, X. Wang, Z. Ai, and L. Zhang (2021). Structural Dependent Cr (VI) Adsorption and Reduction of Biochar: Hydrochar Versus Pyrochar. Science of the Total Environment, 783; 147084.
Dbik, A., A. Dbik, M. Chaouch, N. E. Messaoudi, A. Lahkimi, F. Bentahar, and M. Chiban (2020). Adsorption of Congo Red Dye from Aqueous Solutions Using Tunics of the Corm of the Saffron. Materials Today: Proceedings, 22; 134–139.
de Tuesta, J. L. D., M. C. Saviotti, F. F. Roman, G. F. Pantuzza, H. J. Sartori, A. Shinibekova, M. S. Kalmakhanova, B. K. Massalimova, J. M. Pietrobelli, and G. G. Lenzi (2021). Assisted Hydrothermal Carbonization of Agroindustrial Byproducts as Effective Step in the Production of Activated Carbon Catalysts for Wet Peroxide Oxidation of Micro-Pollutants. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(1); 105004.
Deng, X., Y. Liu, L. Wang, Q. Chen, X. Guo, C. Xu, Y. Zhang, Y. Shi, and W. Shen (2024). Composite Adsorbents of Aminated Chitosan @ZIF-8 MOF for Simultaneous Efficient Removal of Cu(II) and Congo Red: Batch Experiments and DFT Calculations. Chemical Engineering Journal, 479; 147634.
El Bourachdi, S., F. Moussaoui, A. R. Ayub, A. El Amri, F. El Ouadrhiri, A. Adachi, A. Bendaoud, A. M. Idrissi, and A. Lahkimi (2025). DFT Theoretical Analysis, Experimental Approach, and RSM Process to Understand the Congo Red Adsorption Mechanism on Chitosan@Graphene Oxide Beads. Journal of Molecular Structure, 1321; 140090.
Farobie, O., A. Amrullah, L. A. Anis, E. Hartulistiyoso, N. Syaftika, G. Saefurahman, and A. Bayu (2023). Valorization of Brown Macroalgae Sargassum plagiophyllum for Biogas Production under Different Salinity Conditions. Bioresource Technology Reports, 22; 101403.
Funke, A. and F. Ziegler (2010). Hydrothermal Carbonization of Biomass: A Summary and Discussion of Chemical Mechanisms for Process Engineering. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 4(2); 160–177.
Ghosh, S., A. Biswas, S. Saha, S. Jana, P. Roy, D. Paul, and A. Ghosh (2021). Elucidation of Selective Adsorption Study of Congo Red Using New Cadmium(II) Metal-Organic Frameworks: Adsorption Kinetics, Isotherm and Thermodynamics. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 296; 121929.
Grouli, A., N. El Messaoudi, A. Dbik, M. El Messaoudi, M. Chiban, and F. Bentahar (2024). An Investigation of the Adsorption of Congo Red Dye on Two Naturally Occurring Adsorbents Hydroxyapatite and Bentonite: An Experimental Analysis, DFT Calculations, and Monte Carlo Simulation. Heliyon, 10(21); e39884.
Guo, J., F. Shi, M. Sun, F. Ma, and Y. Li (2022). Antioxidant and Aflatoxin B1 Adsorption Properties of Eucheuma cottonii Insoluble Dietary Fiber. Food Bioscience, 50; 102043.
Harja, M., G. Buema, and D. Bucur (2022). Recent Advances in Removal of Congo Red Dye by Adsorption Using an Industrial Waste. Scientific Reports, 12(1); 1–18.
Hoekman, S. K., A. Broch, and C. Robbins (2011). Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) of Lignocellulosic Biomass. Energy and Fuels, 25(4); 1802–1810.
Kruse, A. and N. Dahmen (2018). Hydrothermal Biomass Conversion: Quo Vadis. Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 134(December 2017); 114–123.
Kumar, M., A. O. Oyedun, and A. Kumar (2018). A Review on the Current Status of Various Hydrothermal Technologies on Biomass Feedstock. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 81(March 2017); 1742–1770.
Lesbani, A., N. Ahmad, S. Wibiyan, A. Wijaya, Y. Hanifah, I. Royani, R. Mohadi, et al. (2025). Improving Congo Red Dye Removal by Modification Layered Double Hydroxide with Microalgae and Macroalgae: Characterization and Parametric Optimation. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 706; 135770.
Munir, M. T., S. S. Mansouri, I. A. Udugama, S. Baroutian, K. V. Gernaey, and B. R. Young (2018). Resource Recovery from Organic Solid Waste Using Hydrothermal Processing: Opportunities and Challenges. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 96; 64–75.
Nguyen, D. L. T., Q. A. Binh, X. C. Nguyen, T. T. H. Nguyen, Q. N. Vo, T. D. Nguyen, T. C. P. Tran, T. A. H. Nguyen, S. Y. Kim, T. P. Nguyen, J. Bae, I. T. Kim, and L. Q. Van (2021). Metal Salt-Modified Biochars Derived from Agro-Waste for Effective Congo Red Dye Removal. Environmental Research, 200(March); 111492.
Ramesh, N., C. W. Lai, M. R. B. Johan, S. M. Mousavi, I. A. Badruddin, A. Kumar, G. Sharma, and F. Gapsari (2024). Progress in Photocatalytic Degradation of Industrial Organic Dye by Utilising the Silver Doped Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposite. Heliyon, 10(December 2024); e40998.
Tehrani, A. D., F. Tahriri, A. K. Najafabadi, and K. Arefizadeh (2024). Preparation of New Green Poly (Amino Amide) Based on Cellulose Nanoparticles for Adsorption of Congo Red and Its Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Modeling. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 281(P1); 136287.
Wanyonyi, W. C., J. M. Onyari, and P. M. Shiundu (2014). Adsorption of Congo Red Dye from Aqueous Solutions Using Roots of Eichhornia Crassipes: Kinetic and Equilibrium Studies. Energy Procedia, 50; 862–869.
Wibiyan, S., A. Wijaya, and P. M. S. B. N. Siregar (2023). Adsorption of Phenol Using Cellulose and Hydrochar: Kinetic, Isotherm, and Regeneration Studies. Indonesian Journal of Material Research, 1(2); 61–67.
Yu, J., T. Tang, F. Cheng, D. Huang, J. L. Martin, C. E. Brewer, R. L. Grimm, M. Zhou, and H. Luo (2021). Exploring Spent Biomass-Derived Adsorbents as Anodes for Lithium Ion Batteries. Materials Today Energy, 19.
Yu, S., X. Yang, P. Zhao, Q. Li, H. Zhou, and Y. Zhang (2022). From Biomass to Hydrochar: Evolution on Elemental Composition, Morphology, and Chemical Structure. Journal of the Energy Institute, 101(December 2021); 194–200.
