Preparation & Characterization of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Sodium Alginate-Starch Based Hydrogel by Gamma Radiation and Its Application for the Treatment of Dye Containing Water

Abstract

Hydrogels are three-dimensional, hydrophilic networks of polymers with a high water absorption capacity. We investigated the removal of monovalent cationic dye, methylene blue, from aqueous solutions by a polyvinyl alcohol/Sodium alginate/Starch mix hydrogel to discover a solution to the environmental waste-water problem. By applying a gamma radiation dose from a Co-60 source without adding a hazardous cross-linker, a novel PVA/SA/Starch mix hydrogel was synthesized. The effects of factors like irradiation dose and composition ratio on the manufactured hydrogel (PAS hydrogel) characteristics, including gel content and swelling behavior, were carefully examined. At various radiation dosages, the cross-linking density of the PAS (PVA/SA/Starch) hydrogel was investigated. The 30 kGy was selected as the optimal dose based on swelling ratio and gel fraction, and 0.25% starch was chosen as the optimal starch content. By using FTIR, the produced hydrogel was identified. The ability of the hydrogel to remove methylene blue was investigated while taking isotherm and kinetic factors into account. The homogeneously distributed active sites on the surface of this hydrogel have undergone monolayer adsorption, according to fitting using the Langmuir model. This hydrogel offers promising potential for treating waste-water containing methylene blue dye solution.