12/17/2018 Novel adsorbent from sago-grafted silica for removal of methylene blue | SpringerLink https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13762-018-2043-x 1/9 Novel adsorbent from sago-grafted silica for removal of methylene blue International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology pp 1–12 | Cite as Y. Rajan (1) Z. Ngaini (1) Email author (nzainab@unimas.my) View author's OrcID profile (View OrcID profile) R. Wahi (1) 1. Faculty of Resource Science and Technology , Universiti Malaysia Sarawak , , Kota Samarahan, Sarawak , Malaysia Original Paper First Online: 09 October 2018 10 Downloads Abstract Eco-friendly and low-cost adsorbent prepared from sago waste was investigated for the removal of methylene blue. Sago “hampas,” an abundant waste from sago industries, was transformed into activated carbon followed by chemical grafting with silica from activated rice husk in the presence of 3-(triethoxysilyl)-propylamine to afford sago-grafted silica 80:20 (wt/wt%) and 50:50 (wt/wt%). The physicochemical properties of the adsorbents were characterized, and their effectiveness in removing methylene blue was studied based on initial concentration (2–10 mg/L), adsorbent dosage (0.02–0.1 g and 0.1–0.5 g), and temperature (30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C). Sago- grafted silica 80:20 showed excellent mesoporous properties and better adsorption capacity (86.43%) compared to sago-activated carbon (74.78%) and sago-grafted silica 50:50 (39.56%). The adsorption of methylene blue employing both sago-activated carbon and sago-grafted silica 80:20 was following pseudo-second-order kinetics model with Langmuir isotherm regression coefficient > 0.9, which indicate a monolayer adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity of sago-activated carbon and sago-grafted silica 80:20 were 7.69 mg/g and 10.31 mg/g, respectively. Sago- grafted silica 80:20 is a potential low-cost natural sorbent which works best in the removal of methylene blue from environment. Keywords Sago hampas Rice husk activated Langmuir isotherm Mesoporous Adsorption Editorial responsibility: J Aravind.