Selective adsorption of anionic dye from wastewater using polyethyleneimine based macroporous sponge: Batch and...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Dyes pose significant environmental and public health risks.
• Monolithic adsorbents offer efficient dye removal for industrial processes.
• Polyethyleneimine (PEI)-based materials show promise for dye adsorption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a PEI-based macroporous monolithic sponge (S100) for efficient dye removal.
• To investigate the adsorption performance in both batch and continuous flow systems.
• To evaluate the adsorbent's selectivity, regeneration, and stability.

Main Methods:

• Ice-templating method used for adsorbent synthesis.
• Batch and column adsorption experiments conducted.
• Adsorption data modeled using Langmuir/Freundlich and Adam-Bohart/Thomas models.

Main Results:

• S100 exhibited a high adsorption capacity for Congo Red (CR) of 1666.67 mg/g.
• Exceptional selectivity for anionic CR over cationic Methylene Blue (MB) observed.
• Adsorbent showed good regeneration in alkaline medium and high thermal/mechanical stability.

Conclusions:

• The PEI-based monolithic sponge (S100) is a highly effective adsorbent for dye removal.
• Its superior performance in batch and continuous operations highlights its industrial potential.
• The adsorbent's characteristics support sustainable wastewater treatment solutions.