The Effect of Ground Orange, Banana, and Pomegranate Peels on the Adsorption of Methylene Blue Dye from Water
Clean water is something life requires to sustain itself, but many people do not have access to clean water, and thus an efficient and cheap method to clean water is needed. The objective of this experiment was to test which ground fruit peel, of orange, banana, and pomegranate, would adsorb the greatest concentration of pollutant, or methylene blue dye at a concentration of 2.960 mg/L, from water. Thus, the experiment studied a method of cleaning water using an alternative to filters, which were natural resources, and specifically fruits. It was hypothesized that the ground orange peel would adsorb the most pollutant. The ground fruit peel and solution were mixed together for ten minutes and using a Spectronic 20, the absorption of the ground fruit peel with the lowest absorption value, which would have absorbed the most pollutant, was
found. It was found that the ground banana peel held the lowest absorption value, acting as the most efficient purifier of methylene blue from water. Ground pomegranate peels were the second most efficient, followed by ground orange peels. While the ground banana peels did adsorb the most methylene blue, which is an organic compound, the other two ground fruit peels were observed to possibly be better adsorbents of metals. With the information gathered, further exploration into cheaper and alternative methods for cleaning water could be considered.
Research Conducted By:
Beth Esho
Warren Mott High School
Emily Gi
Warren Mott High School
Warren Consolidated Schools