Application of polyaniline as an efficient and novel adsorbent for azo dyes removal from textile wastewaters

In this work, application of polyaniline coated onto wood sawdust (PAni/SD) for the removal of methyl orange (MO) as a typical azo dye from aqueous solutions is introduced. The effects of some important parameters such as pH, initial concentration, sorbent dosage, and contact time on the uptake of MO solution were also investigated. In order to get a better comparison, adsorption experiments were also carried out using commercial grade of granulated activated carbon (GAC) and sawdust without coating (SD) at the same time. It was found that PAni/SD can be used to remove azo dyes such as MO from aqueous solutions very efficiently. Experimental data were analyzed by the Langmuir and Freundlich models of adsorption. Kinetic parameters for the adsorption of MO dyes for the selected adsorbents are also reported. In order to study the possibility of desorption for frequent application, chemical regeneration of the used adsorbents was also investigated. Desorption or recovery of dye and regeneration of adsorbent (PAni/SD) was found to be quite possible and of high performance. Application of modified sawdust with polyaniline for the removal of azo dye is very promising for textile wastewater treatment.