Activated biomass; Oak; Casuarina; Methylene blue; Copper ions; Adsorption

To valorize biomass and reduce the toxicity of industrial efuents, this study focused on two biomasses derived from fruit shells of oak and casuarina, used for the frst time as adsorbents for the retention of copper ions Cu2+ and methylene blue by adsorption. The adsorbents were characterized by specifc surface area, volume and surface of micropores and mesopores, thermogravimetry, and iodine number. The adsorption was carried out in batch, by studying the adsorption kinetics and isotherms to describe the phenomena of efuent removal. The highest capacity of adsorption of methylene blue was founded for activated casuarina, 667 mg/g after 2 h of contact and 83 mg/g for copper ions by activated oak after 3 h. This study showed that simple materials based on biomass, oak and casuarina fruit shells can be used to treat industrial efuents.