Removal of Dye using Novel Nanoparticles with Performance, Characterization, Kinetic & Isotherm Study from Waste Water

Abstract

The effluent containing dye is one of the major health concerns for humans and the environment. Iron oxide nanoparticle (Fe NPs) has properties like size, large surface area, and magnetic nature that were more impressive for removing dye from the aqueous solution.Batch adsorption tests for the removal of dye from synthetic dye water were done in the current work, and the modified iron oxide nanoparticle with rice husk ash (RH+Fe) was confirmed by characterization techniques like XRD, FTIR, SEM, and particle size analysis. Using 2.6 g/L, 50 °C, and 10 ppm of adsorbent dosage, starting concentration, and temperature of RH+Fe, 96 % of the dye was removed. The RH+Fe adsorbent data were best fitted for Langmuir isotherm and had an adsorption capacity of 98 mg g-1. In the kinetic investigation, the regression coefficient of pseudo-second order was determined to be 0.96. The results of the current investigation offer a promising dye elimination adsorbent.

Introduction

The study explores the development and application of a novel, low-cost adsorbent made from rice husk (RH) and iron oxide (Fe) nanoparticles (RH+Fe) for the removal of dye pollutants from wastewater, particularly Reactive Black 5 (RB5) and Congo Red (CR), which are harmful anionic dyes used in the textile industry.

Key Points:

1. Background:

   • Rivers are crucial for ecosystems, drinking water, and economic activities.

   • Industrial activities, especially the textile dyeing industry, are major sources of water pollution.

   • Common dyes hinder sunlight penetration, harming aquatic ecosystems.

   • Various dye removal methods exist; adsorption is favored due to its low cost, efficiency, and eco-friendliness.

2. Material Development:

   • Rice husk ash (RH) is abundant in India and was chosen as a bio-adsorbent base.

   • Iron oxide was added to RH using a co-precipitation method, creating RH+Fe nanoparticles.

   • The resulting material was characterized using SEM, XRD, FTIR, EDX, and particle size analysis, confirming successful synthesis and showing an average nanoparticle size of ~78 nm.

3. Experimental Design:

   • Batch adsorption tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of:

     • Adsorbent dosage: Optimal at 2.6 g/L.

     • Contact time: Max dye removal (~98%) occurred within 60 minutes.

     • Dye concentration: Best performance at 10 mg/L.

     • pH: Optimal adsorption occurred at pH 6.

   • Adsorption capacity reached 88 mg/g.

4. Performance & Mechanism:

   • High adsorption efficiency is due to large surface area, porous structure, and magnetic properties of iron oxide.

   • FTIR and XRD confirmed the interaction of RH+Fe with dye molecules.

   • Isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic models were used to analyze the adsorption mechanism.

   • Regeneration tests indicated good reusability of the adsorbent.

Conclusion

The RH+Fe adsorbent was used in the current work to achieve dye efficiency. The characterisation demonstrates that the RH+Fe adsorbent was expertly made. The ideal parameters were concentration10 mg L-1, dosage 2.6 g L-1, pH 6, and time 60 min, with a 98 % dye elimination efficiency. The adsorption of dye and RH+Fe was largely dependent on optimised parameters. The RH+Fe adsorbent data was best suited to the Langmuir isotherm and had an adsorption capacity of 98 mg g-1, which is monolayer adsorption between adsorbate and adsorbent, according to calculations made from the equilibrium data. The regeneration of dye elimination indicated 56 % in the fifth stage. As a result, this study significantly advances our knowledge of viable and useful methods for removing dye from adsorbents.

References

[1] Chang JS, Chen BY, Lin YS. Stimulation of bacterial decolorization of an azo dye by extracellular metabolites from Escherichia coli strain NO3. Bioresour Technol 2004;91:243–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-8524(03)00196-2. [2] Eren E. Investigation of a basic dye removal from aqueous solution onto chemically modified Unye bentonite. J Hazard Mater 2009;166:88–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.11.011. [3] Moussavi G, Mahmoudi M. Removal of azo and anthraquinone reactive dyes from industrial wastewaters using MgO nanoparticles. J Hazard Mater 2009;168:806–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.02.097. [4] Mandal A, Mukhopadhyay P, Das SK. The study of adsorption efficiency of rice husk ash for removal of phenol from wastewater with low initial phenol concentration. SN Appl Sci 2019;1:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-019-0203-3. [5] Dehmani Y, Alrashdi AA, Lgaz H, Lamhasni T, Abouarnadasse S, Chung IM. Removal of phenol from aqueous solution by adsorption onto hematite (?-Fe2O3): Mechanism exploration from both experimental and theoretical studies. Arab J Chem 2020;13:5474–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2020.03.026. [6] Li S, Qin GW, Zhang Y, Pei W, Zuo L, Esling C. Anisotropic growth of iron oxyhydroxide nanorods and their photocatalytic activity. Adv Eng Mater 2010;12:1082–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.201000081. [7] Lassoued A, Dkhil B, Gadri A, Ammar S. Control of the shape and size of iron oxide (?-Fe2O3) nanoparticles synthesized through the chemical precipitation method. Results Phys 2017;7:3007–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2017.07.066. [8] Ahmad A, Mohd-Setapar SH, Chuong CS, Khatoon A, Wani WA, Kumar R, et al. Recent advances in new generation dye removal technologies: Novel search for approaches to reprocess wastewater. RSC Adv 2015;5:30801–18. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ra16959j. [9] Kong LP, Gan XJ, Ahmad AL bin, Hamed BH, Evarts ER, Ooi BS, et al. Design and synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles augmented microcapsule with catalytic and magnetic bifunctionalities for dye removal. Chem Eng J 2012;197:350–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2012.05.019. [10] Hwang YS, Liu J, Lenhart JJ, Hadad CM. Surface complexes of phthalic acid at the hematite/water interface. J Colloid Interface Sci 2007;307:124–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2006.11.020. [11] Rizzi V, Longo A, Fini P, Semeraro P, Cosma P, Franco E, et al. Applicative Study (Part I): The Excellent Conditions to Remove in Batch Direct Textile Dyes (Direct Red, Direct Blue and Direct Yellow) from Aqueous Solutions by Adsorption Processes on Low-Cost Chitosan Films under Different [12] He D, Ikeda-Ohno A, Boland DD, Waite TD. Synthesis and characterization of antibacterial silver nanoparticle- impregnated rice husks and rice husk ash. Environ Sci Technol 2013;47:5276–84. https://doi.org/10.1021/es303890y. [13] Swarnav M. Preparation and Characterization of Cu-Cr Impregnated Silica Catalyst from Rice Husk 2014. [14] Gupta A, Balomajumder C. Simultaneous Adsorption of Cr(VI) and Phenol from Binary Mixture Using Iron Incorporated Rice Husk: Insight to Multicomponent Equilibrium Isotherm. Int J Chem Eng 2016;2016:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/7086761. [15] Hoyos-Sánchez MC, Córdoba-Pacheco AC, Rodríguez-Herrera LF, Uribe-Kaffure R. Removal of Cd (II) from Aqueous Media by Adsorption onto Chemically and Thermally Treated Rice Husk. J Chem 2017;2017:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5763832. [16] Srivastava VC, Mall ID, Mishra IM. Optimization of parameters for adsorption of metal ions onto rice husk ash using Taguchi’s experimental design methodology. Chem Eng J 2008;140:136–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2007.09.030. [17] Gebrewold BD, Kijjanapanich P, Rene ER, Lens PNL, Annachhatre AP. Fluoride removal from groundwater using chemically modified rice husk and corn cob activated carbon. Environ Technol (United Kingdom) 2018;0:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593330.2018.1459871. [18] Pillai P, Lakhtaria Y, Dharaskar S, Khalid M. Synthesis, characterization, and application of iron oxyhydroxide coated with rice husk for fluoride removal from aqueous media. Environ Sci Pollut Res 2020;27:20606–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05948-8. [19] Hassan AF, Abdelghny AM, Elhadidy H, Youssef AM. Synthesis and characterization of high surface area nanosilica from rice husk ash by surfactant-free sol-gel method. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 2014;69:465–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-013-3245-9. [20] Kadhim A-SF. Characterization the Removal of Phenol from Aqueous Solution in Fluidized Bed Column by Rice Husk Adsorbent. Res J Recent Sci 2012;1:145. [21] Chandrasekhar S, Pramada PN. Rice husk ash as an adsorbent for methylene blue-effect of ashing temperature. Adsorption 2006;12:27–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-006-0136-1. [22] Pillai P, Dharaskar S, Sinha MK, Sillanpää M, Khalid M. Iron oxide nanoparticles modified with ionic liquid as an efficient adsorbent for fluoride removal from groundwater. Environ Technol Innov 2020;19:100842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2020.100842. [23] Raul PK, Devi RR, Umlong IM, Banerjee S, Singh L, Purkait M. Removal of Fluoride from Water Using Iron Oxide-Hydroxide Nanoparticles. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 2012;12:3922–30. https://doi.org/10.1166/jnn.2012.5870. [24] Predescu AM, Matei E, Berbecaru AC, Pantilimon C, Dr?gan C, Vidu R, et al. Synthesis and characterization of dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. R Soc Open Sci 2018;5. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.171525. [25] Hao L, Liu M, Wang N, Li G. A critical review on arsenic removal from water using iron-based adsorbents. RSC Adv 2018;8:39545–60. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ra08512a.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Dharmendra Patel, Mahesh Patel, Parwathi Pillai. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.