Removal of bromophenol blue anionic dye from water using a modified exuviae of Hermetia illucens larvae as biosorbent

Organic dyes originating from liquid effluents from the textile industries are harmful to the environment. They are toxic and reduce the penetration of light into aquatic environments. In this study, a biosorbent was produced from the exuviae of Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus) larvae and used to remove organic anionic dyes from an aqueous medium. The solids were characterized in terms of thermal stability, chemical structure, morphology, and porosity using thermogravimetric (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and N₂ adsorption-desorption. There were studied the effects of pH and dosage of the adsorbent on the adsorption of the bromophenol blue dye, used as a model molecule. The adsorption kinetics was studied with Lagergren's pseudo-first-order rate model. The maximum adsorbed amount was 571 mg g⁻¹ according to Langmuir's model. The adsorption process was evaluated as exothermic and spontaneous and was classified as physical adsorption. The prepared biosorbent was tested in five consecutive adsorption cycles achieving 99% dye removal at each stage. This demonstrated the maintenance of adsorption efficiency and desorption capacity. These results suggest that prepared biosorbent have potential applications in the treatment of effluents from textile industries.