Removal of basic fuchsine dye using (TiO2/MWCNTs) nanomaterial

Abstract

In this study, antase-type titanium dioxide (TiO2) was produced and mixed with multi-walled carbon nanotubes using an ultrasonic. To aid the mixing process, ethanol was employed as a dispersing solvent. The nano titanium dioxide was loaded onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes for prepared (TiO2/MWCNTs). Thestructuralcharacteristicsofananocomposite(TiO2/MWCNTs)wereinvestigated(FTIR, XRD, AFM, SEM, EDX). The (TiO2 Anatase) was discovered to have a 15.65 nm average particle size. The (TiO2/MWCNTs) nanocomposite had a composition of (0.75TiO2/0.016MWCNTs) (w/w), which resulted in an increase in the developed interfacial area ratio from (159.07%) for (TiO2) to (210.3%) for (TiO2/MWCNTs). Batch adsorption tests were used to assess the efficacy of utilizing (TiO2/MWCNTs) to remove basic fuchsin dye from aqueous solution. With increasing contact time, the amount of dye removed by the adsorbent increased, and optimal adsorption was reached in 40 min. The adsorption process was affected by the pH of the aqueous solution, with the best dye removal happening at pH = 6. The adsorbent's ability to absorb dye decreased as the original dye concentration and adsorbent dose increased. Adsorption equilibrium data was fitted with Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Temkin equations to describe the isotherms. The Freundlich and Temkin models performed better than the Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich models in describing the experimental results. The pseudo-first and second order models were used to fit the kinetic data. The Pseudo-second-order model suited the data better than the Pseudo-first-order model. The maximum rate of removal is approximately 98 percent. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption was exothermic. Out of five distinct temperatures, the free energy of adsorption (Δ G°) was found to be −35.35 kJ.mol-1 at 25 °C. The fact that (Δ G°) was negative indicated the technique's viability and the spontaneous nature of adsorption.