The Removal of Textile Dyes with Cross-Linked Chitosan-Poly(acrylamide) Adsorbent Hydrogels

Abstract

This study examined the behaviors and mechanisms of chitosan (CS)-poly(acrylamide) (PAAM) full interpenetrating polymeric network (IPN) hydrogels as an adsorbent to remove EY-4GL and S-Blue textile dyes from an aqueous solution. CS-PAAM IPN hydrogels were prepared by acrylamide monomer polymerization in the presence of a natural polymer, e.g., chitosan. N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAM) and glutaraldehyde (GLA) were selected to cross-link PAAM and CS chains and a full-IPN structure formed simultaneously. Kinetic swelling studies of CS-PAAM IPNs were carried out with deionized water and aqueous dye solutions. The experimental data clearly suggested that the swelling process obeys second-order kinetics. Network and diffusion parameters for CS-PAAM and PAAM hydrogels were calculated and it was observed that these IPN hydrogels have high cross-linking efficiencies in comparison to PAAM hydrogels. Adsorption of textile dyes onto hydrogels was studied by a batch adsorption technique at 23°C and 40°C, and it was seen that the higher temperature increased the dye adsorption onto the hydrogels. L type (Lan gmuir) adsorption isotherms, according to Giles classification system, were established at the end of adsorption experiments. The prepared IPN hydrogels show good ability to uptake textile dyes from wastewater.

Keywords:

• Chitosan
• Cross-linking
• Dye adsorption
• IPN hydrogels
• Pollutants

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University Research Fund, under Project No. BAP 2009/120.

Notes

The density of the hydrogels was determined as pycnometric using n-hexane as non-solvent.