LAUSR

Abstract Using of bio-wastes in dye adsorption is one of the greenest influential applied techniques for the removal of dyestuff from the industrial effluents and it considered as waste management. In the current study, banana peel waste (BPW) was used as an inexpensive and eco-friendly adsorbent for methylene blue (MB) dye. Mechanical pretreatment of BPW was carried out and followed by biological activation using Rhizopus microspores. MB dye was adsorbed by mechanically pretreated BPW (mBPW) by 31%. Moreover, the day nine fermented BPW fibers (mbBPW) is the best time for R. microspores to complete activation, where adsorption ratio reached to about 96.5%. Likewise, enzymes activity was recorded the highest activity after this period of fermentation, where enzymes activity of cellulase, xylanase, lignin peroxidase, poly phenol oxidase and laccase were 0.75, 0.68, 0.38, 0.55 and 0.32 U/ml, respectively. The FT-IR, SEM and BET were used to observe the effect of treatment on the BPW. Otherwise, the kinetics study is illustrated that the adsorption of MB with mbBPW fitted with pseudo-first-order kinetic models. However, the adsorption parameters indicated that the Langmuir model is better to describe the adsorption of dye with excellent maximum adsorption capacity 991 mg/g. In conclusion, biologically activated BPW is very efficient for dye adsorption as well as waste management.