Adsorption of basic dyes in single and mixture systems on granular inorganic–organic pillared clays

Abstract

The adsorption of two basic dyes, CI Basic Yellow 28 and CI Basic Green 4, was studied in single and binary solute systems using two classes of inorganic–organic pillared clay granules as sorbents (300–400 µm and 700–800 µm). These were prepared by high‐shear wet granulation from an Al cetyltrimethylammonium bromide intercalated clay powder (particle diameter < 50 µm). Adsorption rate data indicate that BY 28 adsorbs more rapidly than BG 4 and a pseudo‐first‐order model was found to fit the kinetic curves, with regression coefficients above 0.98. Adsorption isotherms in single solute systems at pH 3 and pH6 were respectively analysed according to the Langmuir and Freundlich models using non‐linear regression. Best fits were obtained with the Langmuir model. In binary dye systems the adsorption at three molar ratios (1:9, 1:1 and 9:1) demonstrated that the adsorption of BG 4 was greater than that of BY 28 on all the sorbents studied; this was in agreement with the results obtained for single solute systems. Increasing the granule size decreased dye adsorption, an effect in accordance with the Sheindorf–Rebuhn–Sheintuch model.