Application of Palm Tree Leaf-Based Biocomposite for Waste Water Treatment and Design of Concrete Blocks

Exposure to dye-laden wastewater poses a potential threat to human health and the well-being of all living organisms. The present study proposes a dual-purpose water treatment and waste management approach by utilizing palm tree leaves to synthesize a hydrogel-based composite for dye adsorption, subsequently incorporating the pollutant-laden material into concrete structures. Characterization of the adsorbent was done using SEM, FTIR, and swelling studies. The adsorption performance was evaluated for the removal of Crystal Violet and Rhodamine B dyes from aqueous solutions at variable operational parameters. Maximum dye removal efficiency, reaching 86.9% for RhB, was observed for the composite synthesized with 5% Palm tree leaf, 5% gum tragacanth, and 1.4 × 10⁻² mol/L acrylamide concentration. Adsorption results indicated a superior fit to the Langmuir model for both dyes, with high correlation coefficients (R² > 0.99 for CV and R² > 0.96 for RhB). Kitchen wastewater treatment studies revealed improvements in water quality parameters, including pH, conductivity, and turbidity. In a novel integration of waste reuse, a concrete block designed using dye-saturated composite material exhibited 7.17 N/mm² compressive strength. These findings underscore the potential of palm tree leaves as a viable material for fabricating wastewater treatment composites and sequestration by embedding exhausted adsorbents into concrete blocks, thereby achieving environmental remediation and waste valorization.