Application of Activated Carbon/Alginate Composite Beads for the Removal of 2-Methylisoborneol from Aqueous Solution

The presence of 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) in water is a critical global concern due to its low threshold and resistance to conventional processes. In the present study, activated carbon/alginate (AC/alginate) composite beads were synthesized via ionic gelation method for the removal of 2-MIB from aqueous solution. The physicochemical characteristics of the adsorbent were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. The effects of contact time, solution pH, initial 2-MIB concentration and adsorbent dose on adsorption were examined. Over 95% of 2-MIB removal was obtained under optimum conditions within 360 min. The adsorption equilibrium was well described by Langmuir (R2 = 0.97) and Freundlich (R2 = 0.96) models suggesting that 2-MIB adsorption involves both monolayer and multilayer adsorption. Kinetic modeling revealed that the pseudo-first order model showed strong fits to the experimental data, indicating the role of surface adsorption in controlling the rate of adsorption. The adsorbent demonstrated reasonable stability, retaining 59% removal efficiency after four adsorption–desorption cycles, highlighting its potential for repeated application in water treatment. Overall, the AC/alginate composite beads were found to be promising for the effective elimination of 2-MIB from water.