Surfactant-modified alumina: an efficient adsorbent for malachite green removal from water environment

Surface of alumina was modified with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), an anionic surfactant. The surfactant-modified alumina (SMA) was characterized by FTIR and thermal analysis. The SMA was then used for the removal of malachite green (MG; Basic Green 4), a well-known toxic cationic dye from aqueous environment. The removal of MG takes place in the micellar structure formed on alumina surface, and the process is called adsolubilization. All the studies were carried out in batch mode. The kinetic studies showed that 1 h contact time was sufficient to attain equilibrium. SMA was very efficient to remove MG up to 99% under optimum conditions. The concentration range of MG was 20-100 mg/L. The isotherm studies showed that it follows Langmuir model better than the Freundlich model. The maximum adsorption capacity was 185 mg/g. The effects of various parameters such as pH, presence of interfering ions (Cl-, NO3-, H2PO4-, SO4(2-), Fe2+, Ca2+) and organics (pesticides such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, atrazine, endosulfan, and humic acid) are evaluated. It was observed that H2PO4-, Fe2+, endosulfan, and humic acid have maximum interference. Desorption of MG from exhausted SMA using acetone, and its reuse was studied. The regenerated adsorbent shows approximately 80% efficiency on the removal of MG. The usability of SMA for the removal of MG from real wastewater was also examined. The kinetic equilibrium was attained within 1 h and the removal could be achieved up to approximately 95% at a dose of 20 g/L. The adsorption followed Freundlich isotherm model better than the Langmuir model.