Synthesis and characterization of graphene/cellulose xanthate nanocomposite for dye removal from wastewater

Abstract

Textile industries are dealing with the most significant problem of dye effluents. However, many techniques have been developed to degrade and recycle dye molecules from the effluents. Still, there is a need for developing highly adsorptive dye material that can recycle the waste dye from the dye effluents. In the present study, we propose an inexpensive, easily synthesized, and fast adsorptive nanocomposite material that efficiently facilitates dye adsorption from the dye effluents. We have synthesized Graphene/Cellulose nanocomposite (GCC) via a chemical route. The XRD indicates the nano-size crystallites (∼11.7 nm), and FESEM revealed the surface morphology of the synthesized GCC. The FT-IR spectra of GCC showed the successful incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) on to cellulose. The adsorptive capacity of GCC was studied using UV–visible spectroscopy, which showed that adsorption decreases as the time of contact increases. The adsorption extent of GCC for methylene blue (MB) is found to be 383.3 mg/g. Such nanocomposites could be useful in the future for adsorbing and recycling different types of dyes from industrial effluents and protecting our water bodies from dye pollutants.