Dye and its removal from aqueous solution by adsorption: A review

In this review article the authors presented up to-date development on the application of adsorption in the removal of dyes from aqueous solution. This review article provides extensive literature information about dyes, its classification and toxicity, various treatment methods, and dye adsorption characteristics by various adsorbents. One of the objectives of this review article is to organise the scattered available information on various aspects on a wide range of potentially effective adsorbents in the removal of dyes. Therefore, an extensive list of various adsorbents such as natural materials, waste materials from industry, agricultural by-products, and biomass based activated carbon in the removal of various dyes has been compiled here. Dye bearing waste treatment by adsorption using low cost alternative adsorbent is a demanding area as it has double benefits i.e. water treatment and waste management. Further, activated carbon from biomass has the advantage of offering an effected low cost replacement for non-renewable coal based granular activated carbon provided that they have similar or better adsorption on efficiency. The effectiveness of various adsorbents under different physico-chemical process parameters and their comparative adsorption capacity towards dye adsorption has also been presented. This review paper also includes the affective adsorption factors of dye such as solution pH, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, and temperature. The applicability of various adsorption kinetic models and isotherm models for dye removal by wide range of adsorbents is also reported here. Conclusions have been drawn from the literature reviewed and few suggestions for future research are proposed.     

Adsorbents from Waste materials

The possibility of using pyrolyzed wastes produced in already working incineration plants, as adsorbents for waste water treatment, was studied. Showing very poor adsorption properties, they were improved by steam activation technique used in the conventional activated carbon manufacturing. It is concluded that various organic waste materials can be converted to carbonaceous final products with a character similar to activated carbon. Their adsorption properties and pore size distribution are determined by the structure of the starting material. Although most of these samples have a low specific surface area, their pore volume is not negligible in the meso-and micropore range. Adsorption tests with model waste waters confirmed that adsorption properties are strongly influenced by the character of the suface. The adsorption capacity of these samples can be utilized for the treatment of strongly polluted industrial waste waters. Considering that the raw material ‘needed’ to manufacture these adsorbent is produced permanently and the adsorbents do not have to be regenerated, it might be worthwhile using these kinds of adsorbents in the primary treatment of industrial waste waters.     

Removal of Eosin dye from simulated media onto lemon peel-based low cost biosorbent

Synthetic dyes from different sources (wastewater and effluents) can be harmful to the environment even at minor quantity. Low cost natural biosorbent have been proved beneficial for water treatment and have excellent capability for the elimination of certain dyes from aqueous media. The present study purposed to utilize lemon peel as a natural sorbent for eosin dye in an aqueous media. The biosorbent were analyzed utilizing fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and surface area analyzer (BET). The batch adsorption approach was carried out to optimize the basic parameters affecting the sorption phenomena. Anionic dye, eosin, was removed by adsorption utilizing lemon peel, as an biosorbent and such adsorption are affected by different physical factors i.e adsorbent dose, contact time, temperature etc. Freundlich and Langmuir's adsorption isotherm models are used to verify the results. The monolayer adsorption capacity was 8.240 mg/g at 30 °C that is calculated from Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption process is exothermic, shown by calculations thermodynamic parameters. Kinetics studies have represented that the adsorption process could be better explained by pseudo-second-order kinetics. All the parameters of biosorbent were compared with each other and proved that lemon peel, which is readily available, economic biosorbent, for the removal of eosin dye from the aqueous media.     

Utilization of Waste Biomass (Kitchen Waste) Hydrolysis Residue as Adsorbent for Dye Removal: Kinetic,Equilibrium, and Thermodynamic Studies

Kitchen waste hydrolysis residue (KWHR), which is produced in the bioproduction process from kitchen waste (KW), is usually wasted with potential threats to the environment. Herein, experiments were carried out to evaluate the potential of KWHR as adsorbent for dye (methylene blue, MB) removal from aqueous solution. The adsorbent was characterized using FT-IR and SEM. Adsorption results showed that the operating variables had great effects on the removal efficiency of MB. Kinetic study indicated pseudo-second-order model was suitable to describe the adsorption process. Afterwards, the equilibrium data were well fitted by using Langmuir isotherm model, suggesting a monolayer adsorption. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity was calculated to be 110.13 mg/g, a level comparable to some other low-cost adsorbents. It was found that the adsorption process of MB onto KWHR was spontaneous and exothermic through the estimation of thermodynamic parameters. Thus, KWHR was of great potential to be an alternative adsorbent material to improve the utilization efficiency of bioresource (KW) and lower the cost of adsorbent for color treatment.     

Synthesis of PS/RB-Cs and its use in the treatment of water polluted with heavy metals

Polystyrene waste are non-biodegradable materials that causes harm to the environment. Red brick waste resulting from demolition and reconstruction are an obstacle to its disposal. To solve this problem and meet modern sustainability standards, this study utilized polystyrene (PS) foam and red brick construction waste to prepare composite materials (PS/RB-Cs) as a new efficient adsorbent. The PS/RB-Cs composite as an adsorbent was characterized using a UV–Vis Spectrophotometer, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which showed a clear spectrum shift after using PS/RB-Cs as an adsorbent. The PS/RB-Cs was characterized by a porous structure with higher surface area and high stability. The efficiency of the PS/RB-Cs in treating water contaminated with heavy metals such as cobalt and nickel was verified under different initial concentrations, temperatures, doses, pH, and contact times. The experimental q_e values were consistent with the q_e calculated values and were approximately 8 mg/g. The adsorption isotherm models showed that the adsorption results fit the Langmuir, Freundlich and Flory-Huggins isotherm models and that the process was favorable. By applying pseudo-first-order (PFO) and pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic models, the adsorption process was found to follow PSO. The findings of this research validated that the composite material that was prepared serves as a potent adsorbent for the treatment of water that has been polluted by heavy metals.     

A Simple One-Step Modification of Shrimp Shell for the Efficient Adsorption and Desorption of Copper Ions

Removing toxic heavy metal species from aqueous solutions is a point of concern in our society. In this paper, a promising biomass adsorbent, the modified waste shrimp shell (MS), for Cu (II) removal was successfully prepared using a facile and simple one-step modification, making it possible to achieve high-efficiency recycling of the waste NaOH solution as the modification agent. The outcome shows that with the continuous increase in pH, temperature and ion concentration, the adsorption effect of MS on Cu (II) can also be continuously improved. Adsorption isotherm and adsorption kinetics were fitted with the Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order model, respectively, and the maximum adsorption capacity of Cu (II) as obtained from the Langmuir isotherm model fitting reached 1.04 mmol/g. The systematic desorption results indicated that the desorption rate of Cu (II) in the MS could reach 100% within 6 min, where HNO₃ is used as the desorption agent. Moreover, experiments have proven that after five successive recycles of NaOH as a modifier, the adsorption capacity of MS on Cu (II) was efficient and stable, maintaining tendency in 0.83–0.85 mmol/g, which shows that waste NaOH solution can be used as a modification agent in the preparation of waste shrimp shell adsorbent, such as waste NaOH solution produced in industrial production, thereby making it possible to turn waste into renewable resources and providing a new way to recycle resources.     

Review on recent advances of carbon based adsorbent for methylene blue removal from waste water

The growth in textile and printing industries proven detrimental to the aquatic environment as the industrial waste containing dye seeped into the ecosystem. A high concentration of dye in water possess negative impacts on water ecosystem and harmful to human health. Removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from industrial waste via adsorption pathway has been widely investigated that promised high efficiency of MB removal. This review will summarize researches published from 2008 to 2019 on the removal of MB using carbon adsorbent with focus will be given on the synthesis and modification of carbon-based materials, and the structural properties influencing the performance of MB adsorption. Summary on the type of material used for the synthesis of carbon materials (activated carbon and biochar) will be included from utilization of the naturally occurring carbon sources such as polymers, biomasses and biowastes, and also sucrose and hydrocarbon gases. Modification of carbon materials such as chemical activation and physical activation; surface grafting to form functionalized surfaces; deposition with metal and magnetic nanoparticles via impregnation; and manufacturing of carbon composites will be discussed on the effects to promote MB adsorption and desorption. Another type of carbon adsorbents such as porous carbon; graphitic carbons including graphite, graphene, graphene oxide, and carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄); and finally nanocarbon in the form of nanotube, nanorod and nanofiber; will be included in the review with details on the synthesis method and the correlation between structural properties and adsorption activity. The regeneration process to increase the life cycle of carbon adsorbent will also be discussed based on two regeneration pathway i.e. a thermal degradation and desorption on MB. Finally the thermodynamics, kinetics, and the adsorption models of MB on carbon adsorbent will be discussed in this review.     

Adsorption of basic fuchsin using waste materials--bottom ash and deoiled soya--as adsorbents

Basic fuchsin, a triaminotriphenylmethane dye, was removed by adsorption utilizing two waste materials--"bottom ash," a power plant waste material, and "deoiled soya," an agriculture waste product. The adsorbents were characterized through IR spectroscopy and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Batch adsorption experiments were carried out by measuring effects of pH, adsorbate concentration, sieve size, amount of adsorbent, contact time, temperature, etc. The results have been verified on the basis of Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models and data obtained have been applied to calculate thermodynamic parameters. Specific rate constants for the processes were calculated by kinetic measurements and a pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetics was observed in each case. To identify whether the ongoing process is particle diffusion or film diffusion, the treatment given by Boyd and Reichenberg was employed. To assess the practical utility of the adsorbent, the aqueous adsorbate samples were eluted through fixed-bed columns of respective adsorbents. Attempts were also made to recover the adsorbed dyes by passing suitable solvent through the columns.     

Optimum isotherm equation and thermodynamic interpretation for aqueous 1,1,2-trichloroethene adsorption isotherms on three adsorbents

Aqueous 1,1,2-trichloroethene (TCE) adsorption isotherms were obtained on Ambersorb^1® 563 and 572 adsorbents and Filtrasorb^2® 400 granular activated carbon (GAC). The data for Ambersorb 563 adsorbent covers TCE concentrations from 0.0009 to 600 mg/L. The data for each adsorbent was fit to 15 isotherm equations to determine an optimum equation.The best equation for the TCE adsorption isotherms is the Dubinin-Astakov (DA) isotherm. The DA isotherm coefficients were used to estimate the TCE micropore volume and the adsorption potential distribution. For each adsorbent, the TCE micropore volume is equivalent to the N₂ porosimetry micropore volume. The mean adsorption potential is 18.8, 13.0, and 8.9 kJ/mol, with coefficients of variation of 0.37, 0.53, and 0.67, for Ambersorb 563 and 572 adsorbents and Filtrasorb 400 GAC, respectively. Thus, Ambersorb 563 adsorbent has the most energetic and most homogeneous adsorption volume, while Filtrasorb 400 GAC has the least energetic and most heterogeneous adsorption volume. For these reasons, Ambersorb 563 adsorbent has the highest TCE capacity at low concentrations, whereas Filtrasorb 400 GAC has the highest TCE capacity at high concentrations. The performance of Ambersorb 572 adsorbent is generally intermediate to the other two adsorbents.     

Single-Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of Biochar from H3PO4-Activated Lettuce Waste for Efficient Adsorption of Cd(II) in Aqueous Solution

Developing an ideal and cheap adsorbent for adsorbing heavy metals from aqueous solution has been urgently need. In this study, a novel, effective and low-cost method was developed to prepare the biochar from lettuce waste with H₃PO₄ as an acidic activation agent at a low-temperature (circa 200 °C) hydrothermal carbonization process. A batch adsorption experiment demonstrated that the biochar reaches the adsorption equilibrium within 30 min, and the optimal adsorption capacity of Cd(II) is 195.8 mg∙g⁻¹ at solution pH 6.0, which is significantly improved from circa 20.5 mg∙g⁻¹ of the original biochar without activator. The fitting results of the prepared biochar adsorption data conform to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (PSO) and the Sips isotherm model, and the Cd(II) adsorption is a spontaneous and exothermic process. The hypothetical adsorption mechanism is mainly composed of ion exchange, electrostatic attraction, and surface complexation. This work offers a novel and low-temperature strategy to produce cheap and promising carbon-based adsorbents from organic vegetation wastes for removing heavy metals in aquatic environment efficiently.     

Hierarchical porous cellulose/activated carbon composite monolith for efficient adsorption of dyes

Cheap and efficient adsorbents to remove contaminants of toxic dye molecules from wastewater are strongly in demand for environmental reasons. This study provides a novel design of a monolithic adsorbent from abundant materials via a facile synthetic procedure, which can greatly reduce the problems of the tedious separation of adsorbents from treated wastes. A hierarchically porous cellulose/activated carbon (cellulose/AC) composite monolith was prepared by thermally-induced phase separation of cellulose acetate in the presence of AC, using a mixture of DMF and 1-hexanol, followed by alkaline hydrolysis. The composite monolith had alarge specific surface area with mesopore distribution. It not only showed high uptake capacity towards methylene blue (MB) or rhodamine B (RhB) but could also simultaneously adsorb MB and RhB from their mixture, in which the adsorption of one dye was not influenced by the other one. Remarkable effects of solution pH, initial concentration of dye (C ₀), contact time, adsorbent dosage and temperature on the adsorption of MB and RhB onto the composite monolith were demonstrated. The binding data for MB and RhB adsorption on the composite monolith fitted the Freundlich model well, suggesting a heterogeneous surface of the composite monolith. The monolith could retain around 90% of its adsorption capacity after 8 times reuse. These data demonstrate that the cellulose/AC composite monolith has a large potential as a promising adsorbent of low cost and convenient separation for dye in wastewater.     

Adsorption and desorption studies of a water soluble dye, Quinoline Yellow, using waste materials

Bottom ash, a power plant waste, and de-oiled soya, an agricultural waste material, were employed for the removal and recovery of Quinoline Yellow, a water-soluble dye. Characterization of adsorbent materials was made by their infrared and differential thermal analysis curves. Along with batch adsorption studies, which involve effect of pH, adsorbate concentration, sieve size, adsorbent dosage, contact time, temperature, etc., kinetic studies and column operations were also made to remove the dye from wastewater. On the basis of kinetic studies, specific rate constants involved in the processes were calculated and first-order adsorption kinetics was observed in both the cases. The paper also incorporates Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models, which are used to calculate thermodynamic parameters and also to suggest a plausible mechanism of the ongoing adsorption processes. Fixed bed columns were prepared for both the adsorbents and bulk removal of the dye was achieved by eluting aqueous solution of the dye and saturation factor for both columns were evaluated. Dilute NaOH solution was then percolated through the exhausted columns to recover the adsorbed dye.     

Green synthesis of loofah-based biosorbent via radiation grafting for effective removal of methylene blue

A new loofah-based biosorbent with high adsorption capacity for cationic dye was synthesized by a one-step co-radiation grafting method. The successful grafting of sodium 4-vinylbenzene sulfonate (SSS) onto loofah sponge (LFs) through electron beam radiation can significantly improve the remove capacity of methylene blue in wastewater. The biosorbent with a 409.67 mg/g of uptake capacity for methylene blue (MB), was higher than most of the loofah based adsorbents reported. FT-IR, elemental analysis, XRD, SEM and TG were used to analyze the changes in the functional group composition, element content, morphology, thermal stability of the obtained biosorbent. The pH, contact time, temperature and the effect of dosage on adsorption were also investigated. The results showed that the adsorption behavior well accorded with the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir adsorption model, which proved that the adsorption was a single-layered and chemisorption process. The thermodynamic parameters suggested a spontaneous and endothermic process. XPS analysis confirmed a potential adsorption mechanism was based on hydrogen bond interaction, electrostatic interaction and π-π stacking. Additionally, the adsorbent owned outstanding reusability, which could be reused five times with a slight reduction of removal rate. Overall, this research enriches the MB trapping agent and provides a new methods for the reuse of waste natural loofah sponge, and it will be a valuable research with the advantages of low cost and less environmental pollution.     

Eggshell Particles (ESP) as Potential Adsorbent for Styryl Pyridinium Dyes—A Kinetic and Thermodynamic Study

Eggshell particles (ESP) of a definite mesh size have been prepared and characterized through infrared and scanning electron microscopy. Adsorption of some styryl pyridinium dyes (SP-1 and SP-2) has been studied on ESP surface from water-ESP interface and the effects of adsorbate concentration, adsorbent dosage, temperature, salts, and the contact time have been examined. A first time study of the effect of water-structure making salt (kosmotroph) such as NaCl and structure breaking salt (chaotroph) such as KCl and NH₄SCN on the adsorption process on ESP has been reported. Both types of salts have opposing effects on the adsorption of SP-1 dye; however, in case of SP-2 dye both of them show similar effects. The adsorption process is found to follow a second order kinetics. Thermodynamic studies show the occurrence of a physical adsorption with exothermic energetic. The adsorption follows Langmuir isotherm model and the area of coverage has been calculated to show the impact of hydrogen bonding on the adsorption phenomenon.     

Mixed phase Fe2O3/Mn3O4 magnetic nanocomposite for enhanced adsorption of methyl orange dye: Neural network modeling and response surface methodology optimization

In this research, a novel magnetic mesoporous adsorbent with mixed phase of Fe₂O₃/Mn₃O₄ nanocomposite was prepared by a facile precipitating method and characterized extensively. The prepared nanocomposite was used as adsorbent for toxic methyl orange (MO) dye removal from aqua matrix considering its high surface area (178.27 m²/g) with high saturation magnetization (23.07 emu/g). Maximum dye adsorption occurs at solution pH 2.0 and the electrostatic attraction between anionic form of MO dye molecules and the positively charged nanocomposite surface is the main driving force behind this adsorption. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used for optimizing the process variables and maximum MO removal of 97.67% is obtained at optimum experimental condition with contact time, adsorbent dose and initial MO dye concentration of 45 min, 0.87 g/l and 116 mg/l, respectively. Artificial neural network (ANN) model with optimum topology of 3–5–1 was developed for predicting the MO removal (%), which has shown higher predictive ability than RSM model. Maximum adsorption capacity of this nanocomposite was found to be 322.58 mg/g from Langmuir isotherm model. Kinetic studies reveal the applicability of second‐order kinetic model with contribution of intra‐particle diffusion in this process.     

Investigation of СО<Subscript>2</Subscript> adsorption on amine-functionalized silicas and metal-organic polymers

Adsorption properties of amine-functionalized mesoporous silica NH₂-SBA-15, zeolite-like imidazole framework ZIF-8, and amine-functionalized metal-organic polymer NH₂-MIL-53 have been investigated. Non-modified mesoporous adsorbent SBA-15 has a higher sorption capacity for CO₂ than microporous ZIF-8, although microporous sample is characterized by a larger surface area and the values of total pore volume are close. When amine groups are present on the surface of the adsorbents, the chemical adsorption contributes more then the physical one. The adsorption capacity increases with increasing concentration of the functional groups which, in its turn, correlates with adsorbent surface area. Among the studied samples, the best adsorption properties demonstrate amine-functionalized adsorbents, aminefunctionalized mesoporous silica NH₂-SBA-15, and amine-functionalized metal-organic polymer NH₂-MIL-53.     

Adsorption of Safranin-T from wastewater using waste materials- activated carbon and activated rice husks

Textile effluents are major industrial polluters because of high color content, about 15% unfixed dyes and salts. The present paper is aimed to investigate and develop cheap adsorption methods for color removal from wastewater using waste materials activated carbon and activated rice husk-as adsorbents. The method was employed for the removal of Safranin-T and the influence of various factors such as adsorbent dose, adsorbate concentration, particle size, temperature, contact time, and pH was studied. The adsorption of the dye over both the adsorbents was found to follow Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. Based on these models, different useful thermodynamic parameters have been evaluated for both the adsorption processes. The adsorption of Safranin-T over activated carbon and activated rice husks follows first-order kinetics and the rate constants for the adsorption processes decrease with increase in temperature.     

Adsorption of Cr(VI) on ureolytic mixed culture from biocatalytic calcification reactor

Ca-rich water and wastewater have caused problems in water use, wastewater reuse and the operations of reactors treating Ca-rich wastewater. Nowadays, reuse of wastewaters is fast gaining importance as water sources have been polluted. Therefore, the concept of biocatalytic calcification reactors (BCR) based on urea hydrolysis, pH increase and calcite production has been studied to remove Ca from wastewaters. This biological process produces significant amounts of waste sludge. In the present study, Cr(VI) adsorption on the ureolytic mixed culture (UMC) waste by-product from BCR was investigated to evaluate its potential for metal removal. The biosorption process was investigated using equilibrium batch tests and the data were fit to the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. The Cr(VI) ion concentration dependence of sorption (1-100 mg/L) could be fit to the Langmuir isotherm model. Monolayer adsorption capacity, qm (mg/g), of the adsorbent was 8.67 and the Langmuir constant b (L/mg) was 0.881. Based on the obtained results, the waste UMC appears to be a potential biosorbent for the removal of Cr(VI) from wastewater, although its adsorptive capacity is lower than those of other biosorbents.     

Adsorption kinetic and isotherm studies of Azure A on various activated carbons derived from agricultural wastes

The present study narrates the eminent role of agricultural wastes as adsorbents viz., Indian almond shell carbon (IASC), ground nut shell carbon (GSC), areca nut shell carbon (ASC), tamarind shell carbon (TSC) and cashew nut shell carbon (CSC) for the removal of Azure A (AA) dye from waste water. Different experimental parameters such as effect of initial concentration, contact time, dose, pH and particle size have been studied. The experimental results were analysed using Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, Redlich–Peterson and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models. Different kinetic equations (first order, pseudo first order and pseudo second order) were applied to study the adsorption kinetics of AA on various activated carbons. Surface morphology of the adsorbents before and after adsorption is studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). FT-IR studies revealed the presence of functional groups of dye on the adsorbents. It is inferred from the experimental result that the activated carbons (IASC, GSC, ASC, TSC and CSC) from agricultural wastes can be applied as an adsorbent substitute to commercial activated carbon (CAC) in the removal of AA dye from waste water.     

Biosorption characteristics of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution by pummelo peel

The biomass pummelo peel was chosen as a biosorbent for removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution. The feasibility of adsorption of U(VI) by Pummelo peel was studied with batch adsorption experiments. The effects of contact time, biosorbent dosage and pH on adsorption capacity were investigated in detail. The pummelo peel exhibited the highest U(VI) sorption capacity 270.71?mg/g at an initial pH of 5.5, concentration of 50???g/mL, temperature 303?K and contacting time 7?h. The adsorption process of U(VI) was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. The adsorption isotherm study indicated that it followed both the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters values calculated clearly indicated that the adsorption process was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic in nature. These properties show that the pummelo peel has potential application in the removal of the uranium(VI) from the radioactive waste water.