ISSN 2756-3413
African Journal of Virology Research ISSN 2756-3413 Vol. 20 (5), pp. 001-008, May, 2026. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Valorization of Marula Fruit Waste as a Sustainable Biosorbent for Cationic Dye Wastewater Treatment
Mupa Mathew1*, Mautsi Musharu Phineas2 and Gwizangwe Isaac1
1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Bindura University of Science Education, Private Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe.
2Department of Mathematics and Science, Faculty of Science Education, Bindura University of Science Education, Private Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe.
Accepted 21 September, 2025
Adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solution using a low cost Sclerocarya birrea fruit shell powder based biosorbent was investigated in a batch system. Results showed that optimum adsorption capacity was achieved at pH 8 and biosorbent dosage of 0.6 g, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 27.690 mg g-1. Equilibrium studies showed that experimental data fitted well on the Temkin isotherm (R2 = 0.9641), as well as the Langmuir isotherm (R2 = 0.9626). The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second order rate kinetics with R2 values greater than 0.999. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectrum showed the presence of absorption bands typical of a plant based biomaterial. Given the abundant availability of the S. birrea trees in Southern Africa, the seed fruit shell can be used as a source of low cost biosorbent.
Key words: Biosorption, Langmuir, methylene blue, Sclerocarya birrea fruit, Temkin.