ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Chem.
Sec. Green and Sustainable Chemistry
Sustainable Dye Removal Using Fish Scale-Derived Biosorbent: Performance and Mechanisms
Provisionally accepted
Fatima Ezzahra ATMANI*
Kaddouri KADDOURI*
Meriem KASBAJISafaa ADIMNadia ANTERMounir EL ACHABYMohamed BOUHRIMMohammed Al-zharanieFahd A. NasreReda El kacmiAbdelali BOULIAshraf Ahmed QurtameAziz HASIB- Université Sultan Moulay Slimane, Béni Mellal, Morocco
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In the context of sustainable methodologies for wastewater remediation, the present work describes the design and testing of an efficient biosorbent prepared from Sardina pilchardus fish scales (SPFS). The biosorbent exhibits excellent adsorption capacity toward two dyes, Methylene Blue (MB) and Congo Red (CR). Physicochemical and morphological analyses confirmed the porous nature and functional surface chemistry of the material, which are essential for dye adsorption. The adsorption process exhibited fast kinetics, with equilibrium achieved within 30 minutes for both dyes. The pseudo-second-order (PSO) model was followed, indicating that chemisorption regulated the adsorption. Isotherm modeling revealed that the Langmuir–Freundlich model gave the best fit, suggesting a heterogeneous surface supporting both monolayer and multilayer adsorption. The biosorbent displayed outstanding performance, achieving maximum adsorption capacities of 187.634 mg/g for CR and 129.694 mg/g for MB, ranking it among the most efficient bio-derived adsorbents reported. Thermodynamic analysis indicated the processes are exothermic, spontaneous, and favorable. Despite a slight efficiency decrease at higher temperatures, the material maintained high regenerability, supporting its repeated use. These results highlight the promise of fish-scale-derived biosorbents as low-cost, sustainable, and effective candidates for dye removal in wastewater treatment.
Keywords: Adsorption, Bio-based adsorbent, Congo Red, Methylene Blue, renewable biomaterials, Sardina pilchardus Scales
Received: 23 Sep 2025; Accepted: 15 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 ATMANI, KADDOURI, KASBAJI, ADIM, ANTER, EL ACHABY, BOUHRIM, Al-zharanie, Nasre, El kacmi, BOULI, Qurtame and HASIB. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Fatima Ezzahra ATMANI
Kaddouri KADDOURI
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