SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND POTENTIAL APPLICATION OF BIOCOMPOSITE MATERIAL BASED ON SAWDUST BIOMASS FOR REMOVAL OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

This study aimed to develop a biocomposite material by immobilizing sawdust in a natural polymer matrix (chitosan) and to evaluate its biosorptive potential for the removal of dyes and pharmaceutical compounds from aqueous solutions. The synthesized biocomposite, designated as C-SD-2.5%, was characterized by scanning-electronmicroscopy (SEM), X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier transforms infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Additionally, particle size and the point of zero charge were established. Its biosorption capacity was evaluated for the removal of two dyes, Malachite green (MG) and Brilliant green (BG), and one pharmaceutical compound, Ethacridine lactate (EL), from aqueous media. The results demonstrated that the removal efficiency exceeded 96 % for all tested molecules after 48 hours under the selected experimental conditions. These findings suggest that the synthesized C-SD-2.5% biocomposite has strong potential as a low-cost and effective adsorbent for the removal of MG, BG, and EL from aqueous environment.