Magnetic hydrochar grafted-chitosan for enhanced efficient adsorption of malachite green dye from aqueous solutions: Modeling, adsorption behavior, and mechanism analysis

Abstract

Water pollution by organic dyes is one of the most serious environmental problems worldwide. Malachite green (MG) is considered as one the serious organic dyes which is discharged in wastewater by leather and textile manufacturing plants. MG dye can cause severe hazards to the environment and human health. Therefore, the removal of MG dye from wastewater is very important and essential. This study aims to synthesize a new magnetic hydrochar grafted to chitosan (MWSHC@CS) for the removal of MG dye from the aqueous solutions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, and Zeta potential analysis were used to characterize the synthesized MWSHC@CS. Batch experiments were conducted to optimize MG dye adsorption conditions, including adsorbent mass, pH, temperature, initial concentration, and contact time. The results revealed that MWSHC@CS had an excellent removal efficiency (96.47 %) for MG dye at the optimum condition (at m: 20 mg, pH: 7.5, t: 420 min, and T: 298 K). Adsorption isotherms outcomes revealed the MG adsorption data were best fit by the Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity (420.02 mg/g). Adsorption kinetics outcomes exhibited that the adsorption process of MG dye fitted well to the Elovich model. The thermodynamic results revealed that the adsorption process was physical, exothermic, and spontaneous. The adsorption mechanisms of MG onto MWSHC@CS were hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction, and π-π interactions. Furthermore, MWSHC@CS showed excellent reusability for the removal of MG over five cycles of adsorption-desorption (83.76 %). In conclusion, the study provides a new, low-cost, and effective magnetic nanocomposite based on chitosan as a promising adsorbent for the high-performance removal of MG dye from aqueous solutions.