TY - JOUR AU - Mark Odero AU - Scolastica Manyim AU - Timothy Omara PY - 2022/02/04 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Response Surface Optimized Removal of Reactive Red HE3b from an Aqueous Solution using Pyrolytically Biochar Derive from Euclea Divinorum Waste Biomass JF - Africa Journal of Technical and Vocational Education and Training JA - AfriTVET VL - 7 IS - 1 SE - CROSS CUTTING THEMES DO - UR - https://afritvet.org/index.php/Afritvet/article/view/151 AB - One of the major environmental concerns in the 21st century textile industries, is the removal of waste dyes from textile effluents due to the fact that they have been scientifically proven to be harmful, persistent and allergy inducing. Where-as most modern remediation techniques are expensive and selective making them out of reach for most third world nations, the use of agricultural wastes as alternative low-cost adsorbents has been on the rise majorly because of their availability, ease of preparation and non-selectivity where one set of adsorbent can be used for the remediation of several dyes. Biochar and activated carbon derived from these wastes are the most common forms of adsorbents from agricultural wastes because they are efficient, cheap and easy to make. In this study, wastes from the extraction process of the natural dyeing plant Euclea divinorum, were developed into pyrolytically derived biochar at 400 ℃ and subsequently used for the effective removal of the synthetic azo dye, reactive red HE3b. A 24 central composite response surface method was developed and used to examine the effects of adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial concentration and agitation speed on the adsorption of the dye in the process giving the optimum adsorption conditions. The optimum conditions from the study, were an adsorbent dosage of 0.05g, temperature 45℃, an initial concentration of 1.0 ppm and an agitation speed of 300 rpm. These, gave a percentage removal of 84.71% predicted against 84.89 % experimental, signifying the accuracy of the model and the potential adsorptive properties of the biochar. This study therefore, provided for a cheap and available alternative adsorbent for the removal of reactive red HE3b. ER -