The Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) leaf sheaths were used as low cost, available and renewable biological adsorbent for the removal of reactive textile dye from aqueous solutions. Batch experiments were carried out for sorption kinetics and isotherms. Operating variables studied were temperature, pH and chemical pre-treatment. Biosorption capacity seems to be enhanced by increasing the temperature. Maximum colour removal was observed at pH 5. Pre-treating fibres with H3PO4 and HNO3 solutions increased the adsorption efficiency up to 80 %. Experimental sorption kinetic data were fitted to both Lagergren first-order and pseudo-second-order models and the data were found to follow first-order equation for raw fibres and pseudo-second-order for pre-treated ones. Equilibrium data were well represented by the Freundlich isotherm model for all tested adsorption systems. Besides, the thermodynamic study has showed that the dye adsorption phenomenon onto P. oceanica biomass was favourable, endothermic and spontaneous.

Key words:  Biosorption, posidonia seagrass, reactive dye, chemical treatments, modeling

*Corresponding Author Email: ncibi_mc@yahoo.com