Removal of Methylene Blue from Water by Peach Gum Based Composite Aerogels

In this study, novel composite aerogels of peach gum/activated carbon (PGAC) and peach gum/graphene oxide (PGGO) were synthesized by freeze-drying method for removing methylene blue (MB) from water. The methods of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) are used to characterize the adsorbents. It is important to study the effect of distinct factors on MB adsorption. Studies show that using the Langmuir model and Freundlich model can describe the equilibrium isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacities of PGAC and PGGO calculated by Langmuir model were 279.98 mg/g and 360.99 mg/g. Kinetic studies reveals that the kinetic behavior of PGAC and PGGO is more in line with the pseudo-second-order kinetic. The adsorption reaction of MB onto PGAC was endothermic, meanwhile PGGO was exothermic.