Sono-assisted adsorption of methylene blue dye from aqueous medium using magnetic Algerian Halloysite clay (Fe3O4-HKDD3)

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this study, magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were prepared successfully to synthesise magnetic Algerian halloysite sorbent by the coprecipitation approach. The Algerian halloysite was collected from Kaolin Djebel Debbagh (KDD3) in Guelma (east of Algeria). Different analysis including Brunauer Emmett-Teller (BET), high-resolution transmission electronic microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were performed to characterise the prepared magnetic sorbent. The Algerian halloysite is a tubular shape with a length from 0.3 μm to 2 μm and a diameter between 30 and 50 nm. The magnetite particles were well dispersed on the surface of HKDD3 which have a small size in the range 5–50 nm. The nanocomposite Fe3O4-HKDD3 was used for the removal of cationic dye methylene blue from an aqueous solution by sono-assisted adsorption. The quantity adsorbed of methylene blue dye was increased with increasing pH and concentration dye. The equilibrium time and maximum adsorption capacity were determined to be about 60 min and 18.78 mg.g−1, respectively. The removal of methylene blue is well described by the first pseudo-order. Isotherm models indicate that the sonosorption is represented perfectly by Freundlich. Moreover, thermodynamic studies have shown that the process of adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic.