Adsorption of Orange G in Liquid Solution by the Amino Functionalized GO

Abstract

Dye effluent damaged the water environment and human health with its massive discharge. In order to eliminate dye from the water environment, a variety of adsorbents were used to investigate dye removal. Graphene oxide (GO) attracted extensive attention due to its excellent surface property in the degradation of dye wastewater. Modified GO with multifunctional groups helped to improve adsorption performance. 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane modified GO (AS-GO) was fabricated for the removal of Orange G (OG) in this study. The results showed that AS-GO had an excellent adsorption ability of OG. During the reaction process, the maximum adsorptive capacity of OG was up to 576.6 mg/g at T = 313 K and pH = 3 with the initial OG concentration of 100 mg/L and the initial adsorbent dose of 2.5 g/L. The adsorption kinetic process of AS-GO conformed to the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. The spontaneous and endothermic adsorption of OG occurred in the adsorption process. The main adsorption mechanisms were electrostatic, π–π and hydrogen bonding interactions in the reaction process. After four cycles of AS-GO, it maintained high removal efficiency owing to its remarkable stability. The scheme of GO modified with AS could hinder the agglomeration of GO and provide more active sites, which would further enhance the adsorption properties and expand its application in water purification.