Evaluation of the Microsoft Excel Solver Spreadsheet-Based Program for Nonlinear Expressions of Adsorption Isotherm Models onto Magnetic Nanosorbent

The sorption of basic dyes onto magnetic nanosorbent is commonly used as a novel material to combat powdered activated carbon, which is difficult to handle and separate during water and wastewater treatment. This adsorption method is commonly implemented in water and wastewater treatment due to its low cost and high performance. To explore the feasibility of adsorption, six different nonlinear isotherm models were applied and introduced to evaluate the performance and adsorption mechanisms via Microsoft Excel, and they were then compared to those of MATLAB and OriginPro. The Langmuir best provided the sorption of methylene blue adsorbed for a two-parameter isotherm model. The three-parameter model Toth gave a goodness of fit indicating a heterogeneous sorbent surface. Error function analysis found that the Residual Sum of Squares Error, Chi-square, Coefficient of determination, Average Relative Error, Hybrid Fractional Error Function, Marquardt’s Percent Standard Deviation and Root Mean Square Error provided the best overall results. In comparison, it could be concluded that six isotherm models showed the confidence interval that is simply the best fit at all experimental data points provided by the three software tools. All error function results indicated that the Microsoft Excel Solver function spreadsheet method satisfied all the statistic measures to predict the real variance of the probability of experimental data for all six isotherm models of adsorption of basic dye removal. One added benefit of this Microsoft Excel software tool is the built-in function associated with the desired type of application, which designates the desired type of error/statistical functions not mentioned in this research to the adsorbent materials used.

Remediation of bio-refinery wastewater containing organic and inorganic toxic pollutants by adsorption onto chitosan-based magnetic nanosorbent

The novelty of the current study deals with the application of magnetic nanosorbent, chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles (cMNPs), to be utilized for the management of lignocellulosic bio-refinery wastewater (LBW) containing three heavy metals and 26 phenolic compounds. The magnetic property of the adsorbent, confirmed by elemental and vibrating sample magnetometer analysis (saturation magnetization of 26.96 emu/g), allows easy separation of the particles in the presence of an external magnetic field. At pH 6.0, with optimized adsorbent dosage of 2.0 g/L and 90 min contact time, maximum removal of phenol (46.2%), copper (42.2%), chromium (18.7%) and arsenic (2.44%) was observed. The extent of removal of phenolic compounds was in the order: polysubstituted > di-substituted > mono-substituted > cresol > phenol. Overall, the adsorption capacity (qe) of cMNPs varies among the different contaminants in the following manner: copper (1.03 mg/g), chromium (0.20 mg/g), arsenic (0.04 mg/g) and phenol (0.56 mg/g). Post-adsorption, retrieving the cMNPs using an external magnetic field followed by single-step desorption via acid–base treatment is attractive for implementation in industrial settings. Reusability of the adsorbent was studied by recycling the cMNPs for five consecutive rounds of adsorption followed by desorption, at the end of which, cMNPs retained 20% of their initial adsorption capacity.