The feasibility of Mengkuang leaves (Pandanus atrocarpus) as a non-conventional low-cost adsorbent for the removal of an anionic dye, Reactive Orange 16 (RO16), was investigated. Among the dyes that have been commonly used in the Batik industry was reactive dye. In this study, Mengkuang leaves were chemically modified with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant, to improve their adsorption performance toward anionic dyes. The adsorbent’s morphological characteristics were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The surface of modified Mengkuang leaves seems to be irregular and uneven, with more porous structures than raw Mengkuang leaves. Adsorption of RO16 dye in fixed bed column using modified Mengkuang leaves adsorbent indicated the breakthrough time increased at higher bed height and lower flow rate. The breakthrough times for bed height of 0.5, 2, and 4 cm were at 16, 68, and 165 min, respectively. Meanwhile, breakthrough time for the flow rate of 2,5 and 7 mL.min-1 were at 327, 104, and 43 min, respectively. However, the study utilizing raw Mengkuang leaves showed no significant removal of RO16. Thus, it can be concluded that the cationic surfactant modification of Mengkuang leaves is advantageous for anionic dye removal. This anionic dye removal is significantly influenced by column parameters such as bed height and flow rate as the plotted breakthrough curves obtained from experimental data were similar to the typical breakthrough curve. When applied to the Yoon-Nelson model, the adsorption data provided the best fit with the R2 value above 0.95. The time taken for the breakthrough is very similar to model prediction values. Experiments with real batik dye wastewater showed the immense potential of modified Mengkuang leaves where total removal of real Batik wastewater was instantaneous.
Application of Cationic Surfactant Modified Mengkuang Leaves (Pandanus atrocapus) for the Removal of Reactive Orange 16 from Batik Wastewater: A Column Study