Micellar enhanced flocculation for the effective removal of reactive yellow 160 from synthetic textile effluent

Abstract

This work provides insight into the surfactant-based removal of reactive yellow 160 (RY-160) present in the aqueous medium. Micellar enhanced flocculation technique was applied and optimized for the said purpose. The mixture of anionic surfactants, obtained from a bio-degradable source (base soap), has been found to have great potential to solubilize dye molecules. The polyvalent salts are able to flocculate the micelles and help in their subsequent removal. The removal of dye was analyzed by the use of a UV/Visible spectrophotometer. Different factors such as the effect of change in concentration, pH, temperature, contact time, and electrolyte were studied to evaluate the adsorption characteristics and removal efficiency of the process. The data obtained was further used to study the mechanism of adsorption with the help of various models e.g., Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R). The kinetic parameters were also calculated by employing pseudo-1st and pseudo-2nd order kinetic models. Furthermore, thermodynamic calculations were performed to determine the change in Gibb’s free energy (ΔGo), enthalpy (ΔHo), and entropy (ΔSo). The results make it evident that the micellar flocculation-based adsorptive removal is an excellent and sustainable approach for the treatment of wastewater.