Using of modified-bentonite as low-cost sorbent for removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous solution

Abstract

Batch experiments have been studied to remove methylene blue dye (MB) from aqueous solution using modified bentonite. The modified bentonite was synthesized by replacing exchangeable calcium cations in natural bentonite with cationic surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). The characteristics of modified bentonite were studied using different analysis such as Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and surface area. Where SEM shows the natural bentonite has a porous structure, a rough and uneven appearance with scattered and different block structure sizes, while the modified bentonite surface morphology was smooth and supplemented by a limited number of holes. On other hand, (FTIR) analysis that proved NH group aliphatic and aromatic group of MB and silanol group are responsible for the sorption of contaminate. The organic matter peaks at 2848 and 2930 cm^-1 in the spectra of modified bentonite which are sharper than those of the natural bentonite were assigned to the CH₂ scissor vibration band and the symmetrical CH₃ stretching absorption band, respectively, also the 2930 cm^-1 peak is assigned to CH stretching band. The batch study was provided the maximum removal efficiency (99.99 % MB) with a sorption capacity of 129.87 mg/g at specified conditions (100 mg/L, 25℃, pH 11 and 250rpm). The sorption isotherm data fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm model. The kinetic studies were revealed that the sorption follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model which indicates chemisorption between sorbent and sorbate molecules.