Kinetics and isotherm studies of methyl orange adsorption by a highly recyclable immobilized polyaniline on a glass plate

Immobilized polyaniline on glass plates (PANI/glass) and its powder form were compared for the adsorption of methyl orange (MO) dye from aqueous solutions. The effects of operational parameters such as pH, sorbent dosage, initial concentration, contact time, aeration rate and the thermodynamics of the uptake of MO had been exhaustively evaluated. The maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) for PANI/glass and PANI powder was 93 and 147 mg g⁻¹, respectively. In addition, pseudo-second order model was the best fitted kinetic model for both systems, suggesting that the rate-limiting step may be chemisorptions. The obtained negative values of free energy and enthalpy indicated the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. In contrast to PANI powder, PANI/glass yielded negative entropy. Photocatalytic regeneration of used PANI/glass was found to be highly effective where the desorbed MO was completely mineralized. This study showed that immobilized PANI offered the unique advantage of convenient use and reuse over an extended period of applications.