Valorization of Lignocellulosic Wastes Material for Efficient Adsorption of a Cationic Azo Dye and Sludge Recycling as a Reinforcement of Thermoplastic Composite

This work explored the adsorption of Malachite Green (MG) dye by Acorn Pericarp (AP) in the context of biomass valorization. The Acorn Pericarp was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction. The adsorption capacity under optimal experimental conditions was studied at different adsorbent doses, the initial concentration times of the dye and pH. The results presented in this work on the adsorption kinetics of MG showed that the pseudo-first-order model (R² = 0.9971) better described the adsorption kinetics at 10⁻⁵ M. The experimental isotherms showed that Acorn Pericarp adsorption followed the Langmuir isotherm model (R² = 0.9889). The thermodynamic study showed that MG adsorption is endothermic (ΔH° > 0) and spontaneous (ΔG° < 0). For a sustainable industry, the sludge was converted into reinforcement of polystyrene using in-situ polymerization with 10% by weight of filler. A morphological and structural analysis was performed using SEM and FTIR, the results of characterization showed that the AP sludge was incorporated well into the PS matrix.