Clay-moringa seedcake composite for removal of cationic and anionic dyes

The present study investigated the potential of a composite prepared from kaolinite clay and moringa seedcake in removing methylene blue (MB) and acid orange-7 (AO-7) dyes from aqueous solutions using batch and column tests. The composite was modified using different chemicals during the synthesis process, and the composites were characterised using different techniques such as FTIR, SEM-EDS and XRD. Characterisation showed the presence of actively charged functional groups and porous structure on the composites prepared. Batch tests were performed to assess the effect of operating conditions such as adsorbent dosage, pH, initial dye concentration and contact time. NaOH-modified and H₂SO₄/NaOH-modified composites demonstrated the highest adsorption capacities for AO-7 and MB, respectively, and were selected for subsequent studies. The adsorption process of dye was best fitted by the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models suggesting that the sorption of MB and AO-7 onto the composites is a heterogeneous, multilayer chemical adsorption process. Long-term fixed-column tests were conducted with the composites to assess the impact of flow rate, bed depth and initial dye concentration on the dye removal efficiency. Optimum removals of 86 and 94%, respectively at pH 2 and pH 10 were obtained for AO-7 and MB in batch tests, along with adsorption capacities of 205.65 and 230.49 mg/g for AO-7 and MB. Results from the column tests were best explained by the Clark model and the Bed Depth-Service Time model. Competing ions impacted the removal of AO-7, while no significant effect was found for MB. The composites could be reused up to four cycles without significantly affecting the adsorption capacity. The present study thus shows the potential of the composite for removal of both the dyes.