Valorization of pomegranate peel balls as bioadsorbents of methylene blue in aqueous media

There is an ever-growing demand for biosourced adsorbents in environmental protection in order to remove organic and inorganic hazardous compounds. Herein, pomegranate peel balls were evaluated as bioadsorbents for the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye, a model pollutant, from aqueous solutions. Adsorption kinetics was investigated in relation to temperature, contact time, and pH of the solution. The results were found to fit pseudo-second order kinetics. The maximum adsorption capacity of the peel balls for MB was found to be 15.8 (98.8% dye removal), 15.6, 14.9, and 14.5 mg/g at 25, 35, 45, and 55 degrees C, respectively. Thermodynamic studies indicated that the sorption reaction was spontaneous and exothermic. Mechanisms of sorption include physical adsorption. These salient features conclusively show that, in countries where pomegranate is available, the waste generated by the fruit peel could be considered for future water filtration and environmental protection, therefore contributing to sustainable development.