Objectives: to study the kinetics and mechanism of dye adsorption by cellulose raw materials. Methods. As a sorbent, waste from crop production was used – ground sunflower stalks, initial and modified with 10% NaOH alkali, with a particle size from 1 to 2 mm. Methylene blue dye was selected as an adsorbate by preliminary tests. Adsorption isotherms were constructed to determine the maximum sorption capacity. Kinetic models of sorption of the pseudo-first and pseudo-second order are constructed. In order to determine the mechanism of the process, thermodynamic constants were determined: sorption energy (E), Gibbs energy (ΔG) and Bio coefficient (Bi).
Results. The maximum sorption capacity of the crushed biomass of sunflower stalks in relation to the dye is 0.52 mmol/g for the alkali-modified material, which is 48% higher than the initial content (0.35 mmol/g). Thus, the SP(NaOH) material showed improved sorption properties, and it was selected for further kinetic studies. The sorp-tion energy is 5.82 kJ/mol, which may indicate physical adsorption. The Gibbs energy is -6.3742 kJ/mol, less than zero, which indicates the spontaneity of this process. The adsorption equilibrium for the MG dye occurs after 120 minutes, the kinetic curve has a smooth character. The Bio coefficient is 1.812, therefore, the adsorption process is limited by mixed diffusion.
Conclusions. The analysis of the data obtained made it possible to determine the Bio coefficient reflecting the course of MG adsorption by a mixed–diffusion mechanism over the entire time range of adsorption. This indicates the complex character of the MG adsorption process and confirms the importance of taking into account various factors influencing this process when developing methods for cleaning aquatic environments from organic pollu-tants.