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Abstract
In this study a poly(2-(N-morpholinoethyl methacrylate) (Xg-PMEMA) hydrogel grafted with xanthan gum was prepared and used as a potential adsorbent to remove dyes from wastewater. Methylene blue (MB), a cationic dye, was chosen as a model to mimic dye-contaminated water because it is widely used in the textile industry. The micro-porous adsorbent was characterized by FT-IR, FESEM, and zero point of charge (pHzpc) analyses. Adsorption parameters, such as solution pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and initial dye concentration, that affect the removal of MB from aqueous solutions were studied. The pH of the solution was found to have a significant effect on adsorption, with maximum removal occurring at a pH of 11.0. The pHzpc of the hydrogel adsorbent Xg-PMEMA was determined to be 7.8. The adsorption process followed the Freundlich isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, suggesting that the multilayer adsorption of MB occurred by a chemisorption mechanism on the heterogeneous surfaces of Xg-PMEMA. In addition, Xg-PMEMA exhibited good reusability after four successive adsorption/desorption cycles, indicating that the material could be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of cationic dyes from wastewater.
Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to the Scientific Analysis, Technological Application, and Research Center, University of Usak, for providing the infrastructure for modern research.
Authors’ contributions
Fulya Taktak was responsible for designing, coordinating, and supervising all aspects of this study. She also wrote the article and performed the characterization of the adsorbent samples. Ece Ozyaranlar was responsible for preparing the adsorbents and performing all experiments.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare no competing financial interest.