Abstract
The presence of heavy metals and pollutant dyes can have detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems and compromise aquatic aesthetics. This study investigates the use of unprocessed waste gem meerschaum powder as a new adsorbent in the removal of both Cu(II) and methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions to reduce water pollution. The structure of the waste powder was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM and BET methods. Optimization of Cu(II) and MB dye removal was carried out using design of experiment technique. Under optimum conditions, remarkable removal efficiencies of 95.5% (± 3.7) for Cu(II) and 97.8% (± 0.4) for MB were achieved. The removal of Cu(II) followed the Freundlich isotherm model, while the removal of MB dye adhered to the Langmuir isotherm model. Both adsorption processes obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and occurred spontaneously. This innovative approach offers a promising solution to water pollution by highlighting the importance of sustainable and cost-effective waste use.