Production of biowaste granules and their evaluation as adsorbent for removal of hexavalent chromium and methylene blue dye

In this research, compost was used as raw materials in the production of biomass adsorbent granules using drum granulation technique. Different concentrations of aqueous sodium silicate solution were used as the binding agents. Chromium and Methylene Blue solutions were selected as model adsorbates for heavy metals and dyes, respectively. The results obtained showed that the concentration of sodium silicate used had a positive influence on the mechanical strength of the granules, increasing the concentration would increase the compressive strength of the granules. The adsorbent granules had sufficient strength to survive wet conditions they were subjected during the adsorption study. However, increasing the concentration has a negative influence on the adsorption properties of the compost granules for both Chromium and Methylene Blue.