Abstract

In this work, surface of a novel sorbent (cattle hair waste – CHW) was characterized and its dye removal ability was tested in an aqueous medium of Acid Blue 161 dye. The isoelectric point, functional groups and morphology were investigated. Sorbent surface and chemical composition were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The functional group on CHWwas investigated using Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR). The specific surface area and pore size distribution were determined by analyzes of BET/BJH which showed values considered low when compared to commercial activated carbon, through using SEM, EDS and FTIR we observed the presence of the dye in the adsorbent tested. The level of dye removal was 70.82% (pH3.0) with maximum amounts of AB-161 dye adsorbed of 7.08mg.g-1. The obtained results offer a promising use for CHW as an efficient eco-friendly sorbent for the treatment of leather wastewater containing dyes.