Ouricuri (Syagrus coronata) fiber: a novel biosorbent to remove methylene blue from aqueous solutions.

In this work, the potential of ouricuri (Syagrus coronata) fiber as a novel biosorbent to remove methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions was investigated. The fiber was prepared and characterized according to the fundamental features for adsorption. A 23 experimental design was used to evaluate the effects of adsorbent dosage (M), fiber diameter (D) and agitation (A) on the adsorption capacity. In the more adequate conditions, kinetic and equilibrium studies were performed. The experimental design results showed that M = 10 g L-1), D = 0.595 mm and A = 200 rpm were the more adequate conditions for MB adsorption. Based on the kinetic study, it was found that the adsorption process was fast, being the equilibrium was attained at about 5 min, with 90% of color removal. The isotherm was properly represented by the Sips model, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 31.7 mg g-1. In brief, it was demonstrated that ouricuri fiber is an alternative biosorbent to remove MB from aqueous media, taking into account the process efficiency and economic viewpoint.

Obtaining of a rich-cellulose material from black wattle (Acacia mearnsii De Wild.) bark residues.

Black wattle (Acacia mearnsii De Wild.) barks are residues produced by tannin industries in huge quantities, which are normally discharged on environmental or used for energy production. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the use of black wattle bark residues as a raw material on obtaining of a rich-cellulose material by alkaline (MET1), acetosolv (MET2), and organosolv (MET3) procedures. The results obtained indicated that the alkaline methodology, followed by a bleaching step (MET1), promoted klason lignin and hemicellulose removals more efficiently. It was possible to observe that better results were achieved using NaOH concentration of 6% (wt%), at 65 °C for 2.5 h, presenting a yield of 63.24 ± 1.25%, and a reduction on klason lignin content of almost 90.45%. Regarding the bleaching step, it was possible to obtain a material free of non-cellulosic compounds with a yield of 78.28 ± 1.48%. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated the removal of lignin and hemicellulose as well as an increase in cellulose degradation temperature, due to changes in crystalline phases. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD), the procedures employed have led to an increase in crystallinity from 66.27 to 91.78% due to the removal of non-cellulosic compounds. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed morphological alterations in accordance with the removal of non-cellulosic compounds.