Dye Removal from Colored Textile Wastewater by Poly(propylene imine) Dendrimer: Operational Parameters and Isotherm Studies

This paper deals with the removal of textile dyes from aqueous solutions by poly(propylene imine) dendrimer (PPI). Direct red 80 (DR80), Acid Green 25 (AG25), Acid Blue 7 (AB7), and Direct Red 23 (DR23) were used as model dyes. The effects of operational parameters on dye removal such as dendrimer concentration, dye concentration, salt (inorganic anions), and pH have been studied at 25°C. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were investigated. In addition, dye desorption of dendrimer was studied. The results indicated that acidic pH supported the adsorption of dyes by dendrimer. Furthermore studies of dye concentration and salt effects exhibited that dye removal percentage by dendrimer was decreased. It was found that the isotherm data of DR80, AG25, and DR23 followed Langmuir isotherm and isotherm data of AB7 followed Freundlich isotherm models. Desorption tests showed that maximum dye releasing of 76.5% for DR80, 84.5% for AG25, 87% for AB7, and 93% for DR23 were achieved in aqueous solution at pH 12. Based on the data of present study, one could conclude that the dendrimer being an environmentally friendly adsorbent with relatively large adsorption capacity might be a suitable alternative for elimination of dyes from colored textile wastewater.     

Response Surface Optimization of Acid Red 119 Dye Adsorption by Mixtures of Dried Sewage Sludge and Sewage Sludge Ash

The mixtures of dried sewage sludge (DSS) and sewage sludge ash were studied for removal of acid red 119 (AR119) dye as a new, more environmental friendly, and low cost adsorbent. For this purpose, response surface methodology was applied to optimize the dye removal efficiency and turbidity of treated dye solutions as two individual responses. Results revealed that an optimum condition under specified constraints (dye removal efficiency >95% and turbidity <50 NTU) was obtained at a contact time of 60 min, 40 wt% DSS in the mixture, an initial pH of 6, and an initial dye concentration of 200 mg dye/L in distilled water. Under the optimal condition, dye removal efficiency of 94.98% and effluent turbidity of 24.9 NTU was observed. In further studies, at optimum condition, the effect of some additives on adsorption process and desorption/reusability of adsorbent was investigated. It was observed that removal efficiency was significantly decreased to 83.76% when a simulated dye wastewater (containing the selected dye, acetic acid, and Glauber's salt dissolved in tap water) was used. Desorption studies revealed that AR119 dye could be well removed from dye‐loaded adsorbent by 0.3 M NaOH solution.     

Modification of MCM‐41 with Anionic Surfactant: A Convenient Design for Efficient Removal of Cationic Dyes from Wastewater

The potential of MCM‐41 for the removal of cationic dyes from water solution was evaluated using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) for the surface modification of this mesoporous material. Admicelle structures formed on the surface of the calcined MCM‐41 are capable of removing organic pollutants and cationic species from water environment. The structural, textural, and surface chemical characteristics of the prepared SDS‐modified MCM‐41 (SDS‐MCM‐41) were studied. The adsorption capacity of SDS‐MCM‐41 was evaluated for methylene blue (MB) as a target cationic dye. Equilibrium adsorption isotherm data were manipulated employing nonlinear regression analysis. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips isotherm models were examined. The adsorption data were well fitted to both Langmuir and Sips isotherm models. The maximum adsorption capacity of SDS‐MCM‐41 for MB, based on Langmuir and Sips models, were 290.8 and 297.3 mg g^?1, respectively. Ethanol was found to be an effective solvent for partial regeneration of the adsorbent.     

Removal of Congo Red from Aqueous Solution by Sorption on Organified Rectorite

Batch sorption technique was carried out for the removal of anionic dye Congo red (CR) from aqueous solution using raw rectorite (R‐REC) and organified rectorite (CTA⁺‐REC) modified by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as adsorbents. The effects of organification degree of CTA⁺‐REC as well as the process parameters including the pH of dye solution, sorption time, and initial dye concentration on adsorption capacity for CR were investigated and the sorption kinetics was also evaluated. The results showed that the sorption behaviors of R‐REC and CTA⁺‐REC for CR followed pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model and the sorption equilibrium data perfectly obeyed the Langmuir isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters including entropy of sorption (ΔS⁰), enthalpy of sorption (ΔH⁰), and Gibbs free energy of sorption (ΔG⁰) were obtained and analyzed. Fourier transform infrared study revealed that a chemisorption process occurred between CR and CTA⁺‐REC. REC modified by cationic surfactants showed the higher adsorption capacities for CR compared to R‐REC and in theory would be used as an efficient and promising adsorbent for the removal of anionic dyes in wastewater treatment.     

Assessment of the Biosorption Characteristics of a Spent Cottonseed Husk Substrate for the Decolorization of Methylene Blue

This study concentrates on the possible application of the spent cottonseed husk substrate (SCHS), an agricultural waste used after the cultivation of white rot fungus Flammulina velutipes, to adsorb methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. Batch studies were carried out with variable initial solution pH, adsorbent amount, reaction time, temperature, and initial MB concentration. MB uptake was favorable at pH ranging from 4.0 to 12.0, and the equilibrium adsorption capacity of 143.5 mg g^?1 can be reached promptly within about 240 min. The combination analysis of FTIR and BET techniques revealed that the massive functional groups on the biosorbent surface, such as hydroxyl and carboxyl, were responsible for the biosorption of MB. It was found that adsorption data matched the pseudo‐second order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. Thermodynamic parameters of free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°), and entropy (ΔS°), obtained from biosorption MB ranging from 293 to 313 K, showed that the sorption experiment was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The study highlighted a new pathway to develop a new potential utilization of SCHS as a low‐cost sorbent for the removal of MB pollutants from wastewater.     

A Study of the Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Copper Adsorption Using Chemically Modified Rice Husk

The use of rice husk as a low cost adsorbent for the removal of copper from wastewater has been explored in a laboratory scale experiment. The rice husk used for the study was treated with alkali to increase the sorption properties. The influence of metal ion concentration, weight of biosorbent, stirring rates, temperature and pH were also evaluated, and the results are fitted using adsorption isotherm models. From the experimental results it was observed that almost 90–98% of the copper could be removed using treated rice husk. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm, Freundlich isotherm and Tempkin isotherm models were used to describe the distribution of copper between the liquid and solid phases in batch studies, and it was observed that the Langmuir isotherm better represented the adsorption phenomenon. The experimental rate constant, activation energy, Gibbs free energy, enthalpy and entropy of the reaction were calculated in order to determine the mechanism of the sorption process.     

Adsorptive Removal of Acid Blue 15: Equilibrium and Kinetic Study

Activated carbons prepared from sunflower seed hull have been used as adsorbents for the removal of acid blue 15 (AB‐15) from aqueous solution. Batch adsorption techniques were performed to evaluate the influences of various experimental parameters, e. g., temperature, adsorbent dosage, pH, initial dye concentration and contact time on the adsorption process. The optimum conditions for AB‐15 removal were found to be pH = 3, adsorbent dosage = 3 g/L and equilibrium time = 4 h at 30°C. The adsorption of AB‐15 onto the adsorbent was found to increase with increasing dosage. It was found from experimental results that the Langmuir isotherm fits the data better than the Freundlich and Temkin isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacity, Q_m (at 30°C) was calculated for SF1, SF2, and SF3 as 75, 125 and 110 mg g^–1 of adsorbent, respectively. It was found that the adsorption follows pseudo‐second order kinetics. The thermodynamic parameters such as ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS° were also evaluated. The activated carbons prepared were characterized by FT‐IR, SEM and BET analysis.     

Adsorption of Cationic Dyes from Aqueous Solution by Termite Feces,a Non‐Conventional Adsorbent

The adsorption of three cationic dyes (rhodamine B, RB; crystal violet, CV; and malachite green, MG) onto termite feces, a low‐cost adsorbent, was investigated. The adsorbent was characterized by IR spectroscopy, point of zero charge measurement, and the Boehm titration method. The adsorption follows the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model and the Langmuir–Freundlich isotherm with maximum adsorption capacities of 95.53 mg g^?1 (RB), 75.71 mg g^?1 (CV), and 44.78 mg g^?1 (MG). The study of thermodynamics showed that the adsorption is a spontaneous and endothermic process. This works suggest that termite feces can be used as a new low‐cost adsorbent for cationic dye removal.     

Malachite Green Removal from Aqueous Solution by the Peel of Cucumis sativa Fruit

This study investigates the potential use of activated carbon prepared from the peel of Cucumis sativa fruit for the removal of malachite green (MG) dye from simulated wastewater. The effects of different system variables, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, pH, and contact time were investigated and optimal experimental conditions were ascertained. The results showed that when the amount of the adsorbent increased, the percentage of dye removal increased accordingly. Optimum pH value for dye adsorption was 6.0. Maximum dye was sequestered within 50 min of the start of every experiment. The adsorption of MG followed the pseudo‐second‐order rate equation and fits the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R), and Tempkin equations well. The maximum removal of MG was obtained at pH 6 as 99.86% for adsorbent dose of 1 g/50 mL and 25 mg L^?1 initial dye concentration at room temperature. Activated carbon developed from the peel of C. sativa fruit can be an attractive option for dye removal from diluted industrial effluents since test reaction made on simulated dyeing wastewater showed better removal percentage of MG.     

Adsorption of Cadmium Ions from Aqueous Solution Using Granular Activated Carbon and Activated Clay

The present study was aimed at removing cadmium ions from aqueous solution through batch studies using adsorbents, such as, granular activated carbon (GAC) and activated clay (A‐clay). GAC was of commercial grade where as the A‐clay was prepared by acid treatment of clay with 1 mol/L of H₂SO₄. Bulk densities of A‐clay and GAC were 1132 and 599 kg/m³, respectively. The surface areas were 358 m²/g for GAC and 90 m²/g for A‐clay. The adsorption studies were carried out to optimize the process parameters, such as, pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. The results obtained were analyzed for kinetics and adsorption isotherm studies. The pH value was optimized at pH 6 giving maximum Cd removal of 84 and 75.2% with GAC and A‐clay, respectively. The adsorbent dosage was optimized and was found to be 5 g/L for GAC and 10 g/L for A‐clay. Batch adsorption studies were carried out with initial adsorbate (Cd) concentration of 100 mg/L and adsorbent dosage of 10 g/L at pH 6. The optimum contact time was found to be 5 h for both the adsorbents. Kinetic studies showed Cd removal a pseudo second order process. The isotherm studies revealed Langmuir isotherm to better fit the data than Freundlich isotherm.     

Adsorption Characteristics of Reactive Black 5 from Aqueous Solution onto Chitosan

Adsorption of reactive black 5 (RB5) from aqueous solution onto chitosan was investigated in a batch system. The effects of solution pH, initial dye concentration, and temperature were studied. Adsorption data obtained from different batch experiments were modeled using both pseudo first‐ and second‐order kinetic equations. The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted to the Freundlich, Tempkin, and Langmuir isotherms over a dye concentration range of 45–100 µmol/L. The best results were achieved with the pseudo second‐order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm equilibrium models, respectively. The equilibrium adsorption capacity (q_e) was increased with increasing the initial dye concentration and solution temperature, and decreasing solution pH. The chitosan flakes for the adsorption of the dye was regenerated efficiently through the alkaline solution and was then reused for dye removal. The activation energy (E_a) of sorption kinetics was estimated to be 13.88 kJ/mol. Thermodynamic parameters such as changes in free energy (ΔG), enthalpy (ΔH), and entropy (ΔS) were evaluated by applying the van't Hoff equation. The thermodynamics of reactive dye adsorption by chitosan indicates its spontaneous and endothermic nature.     

Characteristics of phosphate adsorption onto granulated coal ash in seawater

The deterioration of sediments is a serious environmental problem. Controlling nutrient release fluxes from sediments is important to alleviating eutrophication and to reducing terrigenous nutrient loads. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the phosphate removal performance of granulated coal ash (GCA) from seawater, which is produced from coal thermal electric power generation. Batch experiments were carried out to investigate the removal kinetics of phosphate from seawater under both oxic and anoxic conditions. Phosphate was removed well from seawater under both oxic and anoxic conditions. The adsorption isotherm for phosphate revealed that GCA could remove phosphate effectively from seawater above a concentration of 1.7 μmol L⁻¹. GCA can reduce the concentration of phosphate in seawater effectively under anoxic conditions where iron type adsorbents cannot be applied. Therefore, GCA could potentially be used to adsorb phosphate in the organically-enriched sediment, which generally occurs under highly reductive conditions.     

Equilibrium and Kinetic Studies on the Removal of Reactive Red 2 Dye from an Aqueous Solution Using a Positively Charged Functional Group of the Nymphaea rubra Biosorbent

Nymphaea rubra stem was used as a low cost and easily available biosorbent for the removal of Reactive Red 2 dye from an aqueous solution. Initially, the effects of biosorbent dosage (0.2–1.0 g L^–1), pH (1–6), and dye concentration (30–110 mg L^–1) on dye removal were studied. Batch experiments were carried out for biosorption kinetics and isotherm studies. The results showed that dye uptake capacity was found to increase with a decrease in biosorbent dosage. Equilibrium uptake capacity was found to be greatest at a pH value of 2.0, when compared to all other pH values studied. The equilibrium biosorption isotherms were analyzed by the Freundlich and Langmuir models. The equilibrium data was found to fit very well with the Freundlich isotherm model when compared to the Langmuir isotherm model. The kinetic data was analyzed using pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetic models. From the results, it was observed that the kinetic data was found to fit the pseudo-second order kinetic model very well. The surface morphology of the stem of the N. rubra biosorbent was exemplified by scanning electron microscopy. Fourier transform infrared analysis was employed to confirm the existence of an amine group in the stem of N. rubra.     

Biosorption of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution Using a Bioenergy Forest Waste: Xanthoceras sorbifolia Seed Coat

Xanthoceras sorbifolia seed coat (XSSC), a bioenergy forest waste, was used for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The effects of adsorbent dosage, pH, adsorbate concentration and contact time on MB biosorption were studied. The equilibrium adsorption data was analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The results indicated that the Langmuir model provided the best correlation with the experimental data. The adsorption capacity of XSSC for MB was determined with the Langmuir model and was found to be 178.6 mg/g at 298 K. The adsorption kinetic data was modeled using the pseudo‐first order, pseudo‐second order, and intraparticle diffusion kinetic equations. It was seen that the pseudo‐second order equation could describe the adsorption kinetics, and intraparticle diffusion was not the sole rate controlling factor. Thermodynamic parameters were also evaluated. Standard Gibbs free energy was spontaneous for all interactions, and the biosorption process exhibited exothermic standard enthalpy values. The results indicated that XSSC is an attractive alternative for removing cationic dyes from wastewater.     

Adsorption of Thallium(I) Ions Using Eucalyptus Leaves Powder

Using batch method, the adsorption of thallium(I) ions from aqueous solutions on eucalyptus leaves powder, as a low cost adsorbent, was studied. The effect of various modification of considered adsorbent on the adsorption percentage of Tl(I) is an important feature of this study. The results showed that the unmodified and acidic modified adsorbent are the poor adsorbents for the Tl(I) ions while basic modified adsorbent is a suitable adsorbent. Also, the effect of some experimental conditions such as solution initial pH, agitation speed, contact time, sorbent dosage, temperature, particle size, and thallium initial concentration was studied. The results showed that the adsorption percentage depends on the conditions and the process is strongly pH‐dependent. The satisfactory adsorption percentage of Tl(I) ions, 81.5%, obtained at 25 ± 1°C. The equilibrium data agreed fairly better with Langmuir isotherm than Freundlich and Temkin models. The value of q_m that was obtained by extrapolation method is 80.65 mg g^?1. Separation factor values, R_L, showed that eucalyptus leaves powder is favorable for the sorption of Tl(I). The negative values of ΔH⁰ and ΔS⁰ showed that the Tl(I) sorption is an exothermic process and along with decrease of randomness at the solid–solution interface during sorption, respectively.     

The Seashell Wastes as Biosorbent for Reactive Dye Removal from Textile Effluents

This study investigates structural and adsorption properties of the powdered waste shells of Rapana gastropod and their use as a new cheap adsorbent to remove reactive dye Brilliant Red HE‐3B from aqueous solutions under batch conditions. For the powder shells characterization, solubility tests in acidic solutions and X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FT‐IR) and thermogravimetric analyses were performed. The results revealed that the adsorbent surface is heterogeneous consisting mainly from calcium carbonate layers (either calcite or aragonite) and a small amount of organic macromolecules (proteins and polysaccharides). The dye adsorptive potential of gastropod shells powder was evaluated as function of initial solution pH (1–5), adsorbent dose (6–40 g L^?1), dye concentration (50–300 mg L^?1), temperature (5–60°C), and contact time (0–24 h). It was observed that the maximum values of dye percentage removal were obtained at the initial pH of solution 1.2, shells dose of 40 g L^?1, dye initial concentration of 50–50 mg L^?1 and higher temperatures; the equilibrium time decreases with increasing of dye concentration. It is proved that the waste seashell powder can be used as low cost bioinorganic adsorbent for dyes removal from textile wastewaters.     

Removal of EDTA from Aqueous Solutions Using Activated Carbon Prepared from Rubber Wood Sawdust: Kinetic and Equilibrium Modeling

Adsorptive removal of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) from aqueous solution was studied using steam pyrolyzed activated carbon. Rubber wood sawdust, obtained from a local timber facility at Kodangavila, Trivandrum, Kerala, India was used as the precursor for the production of the activated carbon. Batch adsorption experiments were employed to monitor and optimize the removal process. The experimental parameters, i. e., solution pH, agitation time, initial EDTA concentration and adsorbent dosage, affecting the adsorption of EDTA onto sawdust activated carbon (SDAC) were optimized. The inner core mechanism for the interaction between EDTA and SDAC, which resulted in the adsorption process, was also discussed. The change in amount of EDTA adsorbed onto SDAC and CAC (commercial activated carbon) was compared over a wide range of pH (2.0–8.0). The maximum removal of EDTA took place in the pH range of 4.0–6.0 for SDAC and 5.0–5.5 for CAC, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the former adsorbent. Kinetic as well as equilibrium studies were performed to determine the rate constant and adsorption capacity, respectively. The adsorption kinetic data was fitted with pseudo‐first‐order kinetics and the equilibrium data was shown to follow the Langmuir isotherm model. These observations explain the formation of a monolayer of EDTA on the surface of SDAC as confirmed by the slow approach to equilibrium after 4 h of contact time. The adsorption capacity of SDAC for the removal of EDTA was 0.526 mmol/g and is seen to be greater than that of CAC and other reported adsorbents (0.193–0.439 mmol/g). Finally, it is clear that the production of steam pyrolyzed activated carbon in the presence of K₂CO₃ greatly enhanced EDTA removal and resulted in a product with possible commercial value for wastewater treatment strategies.     

Oreganum Stalks as a New Biosorbent to Remove Textile Dyes from Aqueous Solutions

In the present study, Oreganum onites L. stalks in natural and chemically modified with HNO³ and H³PO⁴ used as adsorbent for removal of both acidic and basic dyes from waters. The adsorption was studied as a function of pH and contact time by batch method. All tested biosorbents were characterized by FT‐IR, scanning electron microscopy, and measuring the pH dependence of the zeta potential. The adsorption isotherms were fitted to Langmuir isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity of dyes was 280.73 mg g^?1 for Basic Red 18, 147.06 mg g^?1 for methylene blue and 112.36 for Acid Red 111, which is comparable to that of other lignocellulosic materials. The modification process was considerably increased the biosorption capacity of lignocellulosic material, resulting in a 56–63% increase in the biosorption capacity of basic dyes and a 125% increase in the biosorption capacity of acidic dye. The present study illustrated that the most effective factors in the adsorption of basic dye were surface charge and acidic groups on lignocellulosic biosorbents, while non‐electrostatic forces as well as electrostatic forces were also effective in the adsorption of acidic dye. In conclusion, Oreganum stalks can be considered as a very prospective adsorbent for the removal of tested basic and acidic dyes.