Abstract
Natural clay from Darbandikhan (DC) was evaluated in its natural form, after acid activation (ADC), and after pillaring (PILDC) as a potential adsorbent for the adsorption of methyl orange (MO) as a model anionic dye adsorbate. The effect of different clay treatments was investigated using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and N2 physisorption analysis. Both acid activation and pillaring resulted in a significant increase in adsorption affinity, respectively. The adsorption favored acidic pH for the anionic dye (MO). The adsorption process was found to follow pseudo-second-order kinetics with activation energies of 5.9 and 40.1 kJ·mol−1 for the adsorption of MO on ADC and PILDC, respectively, which are characteristic of physical adsorption. The adsorption isotherms (Langmuir, Redlich-Peterson and Freundlich) were fitted well to the experimental data. The specific surface area of the natural clay was very low (22.4 m2·g−1) compared to high-class adsorbent materials. This value was increased to 53.2 m2·g−1 by the pillaring process. Nevertheless, because of its local availability, the activated materials may be useful for the cleaning of local industrial wastewaters.
Highlights
Urban and industrial wastewater of the Sulaimani governorate is introduced into DarbandikhanDam Lake through the Tanjero River
Three adsorbents were used in this study, namely, the natural clay of Darbandikhan (DC), its acid-activated form (ADC), and Ce-Al/pillared clay (PILDC) prepared from the natural clay of Darbandikhan
The high removal efficiency was ascribed to the catalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) in addition to the adsorption process
Summary
Urban and industrial wastewater of the Sulaimani governorate is introduced into DarbandikhanDam Lake through the Tanjero River. The polluted Tanjero river contains colored compounds, heavy metal compounds, and pharmaceutical wastes from a pharmaceutical company and many clinical labs. Among the several methods used in the treatment of dye-contaminated effluents, the adsorption method is common because of its low cost, ease of operation, and effectiveness [2]. Silicate materials, biomasses [3] and chitosan [4] are common efficient and low-cost adsorbents [5]. For the development of adsorbents for the clarification of industrial wastewaters, local clays are often used to minimize the costs. Their lower adsorption capacity compared to high-class adsorbents can be compensated by increasing the amount of the available cheap material
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call