Vicky Prajaputra, Nadia Isnaini, Zaenal Abidin, Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, Siew Ling Lee, Kizar Ahmed Sumon, Rama T. Rashad
Fly ash (FA), a byproduct of coal combustion, poses major environmental disposal challenges. This study aimed to develop a green, one-step hydrothermal strategy to valorize Indonesian FA into zeolite without toxic acid pretreatment, and to evaluate its performance for methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solution. The obtained fly ash-derived zeolite (FADZ) was characterized using FTIR, XRD, and SEM, and exhibited a high surface area (226.25 m2/g). The adsorption of MB followed pseudo-second-order kinetics with a maximum capacity of 92.44 mg/g (Langmuir model). By utilizing the natural iron oxides in FA as catalytic sites, the material enabled a synergistic adsorption–Fenton-like degradation process, enhancing MB removal efficiency from 34.28% (adsorption only) to 98.11%. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed that the adsorption was endothermic and spontaneous. Reusability tests demonstrated stable performance with > 95% removal efficiency over four cycles. Overall, the study demonstrates that FADZ is a stable, dual-functional, and cost-effective material for sustainable dye-contaminated wastewater treatment. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Department of Marine Sciences, Faculty of Marine and Fisheries, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, 23111, Indonesia; Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, 23111, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia; Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, 2308, NSW, Australia; Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, 81310, Malaysia; Department of Fisheries Management, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, 2202, Bangladesh; Soils, Water, and Environment Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt; Laboratory of Marine Chemistry and Fisheries Biotechnology, Faculty of Marine and Fisheries, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Aceh, Banda Aceh, 23111, Indonesia
Research at a Glance
Register to unlock
Topics & SDG Alignment
Register to unlock
Collaboration
Register to unlock
Author Profile (Selected)
Register to unlock
References Overview
Register to unlock
Journal & Source
Register to unlock
Metadata & Integrity
Register to unlock