Ramanda Fatwa Fatwa, Ratna Sari Dewi
This study examines the potential of corn cob waste (Zea mays L.) as a raw material for activated carbon to remove Metanil Yellow dye from textile waste. Activated carbon was prepared through a carbonization process at 400°C followed by chemical activation using KOH to expand the pore structure. To optimize the affinity for anionic dyes, the carbon surface was modified with a cationic surfactant, Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB). FTIR characterization results showed successful modification, characterized by the appearance of C−N group vibrations at wavenumbers 1371 cm−1 and 1217 cm−1. The adsorption test was carried out at a maximum wavelength of 494 nm. The results showed that the adsorption efficiency increased significantly with increasing adsorbent mass and contact time, with the highest efficiency reaching 98-100% in the 90-120 minute time range. This proves that CTAB modification effectively increases the electrostatic interaction between the positively charged adsorbent surface and the negatively charged Metanil Yellow molecules.