Adsorption Characteristics of Bacterial Cellulose Membranes Toward Methylene Blue Dye in Aqueous Environment

Water pollution has escalated to critical levels in recent years as evident by the multiplicity of contaminants found in potable water sources. A point-source major contributor is the textile industry, which discharges substantial amounts of dye into rivers and lakes. Bacterial cellulose (BC), a renewable and low-cost nanocellulose material, has emerged as a potential solution addressing dye removal from these contaminated waters. Methylene Blue (MB) was selected as a representative dye for our adsorption studies. As a baseline for evaluating efficacy, BC was dried using three different methods: freeze-drying, oven-drying, and room-temperature drying. The adsorptive behavior of these dried BC samples toward MB in an aqueous environment was evaluated. Furthermore, to elucidate the structure–property relationship of dried BC, several characterization techniques were employed. Our studies revealed that freeze-dried BC exhibited the highest initial adsorption rate, while oven-dried BC demonstrated the overall highest adsorption capacity. Moreover, the adsorption data corresponded well with pseudo-second-order and Freundlich isotherm models. This investigation provides a comprehensive understanding of how BC, dried through different methods, performs in the adsorption of MB by establishing a baseline for future research.