Adsorption of Basic Blue-41 textile dye from aqueous solution by magnetic iron oxide activated termite mound composite on fixed bed columns

Abstract

This study investigates continuous removal of Basic Blue 41 (BB41) textile dye from aqueous solutions utilizing a novel adsorbent: a magnetic iron oxide-activated termite mound composite (MIOTMC), employed within a fixed-bed column system. This study reveals the development and performance of MIOTMC, synthesized via the co-precipitation method and characterized using XRD, FTIR, SEM, and BET techniques to confirm its crystalline structure, functional groups, surface morphology, and surface area. Fixed-bed adsorption experiments were conducted under varying flow rates (5, 10, 15 mL/min), bed heights (1, 2 and 3 cm), and initial dye concentrations (25, 50, 75 mg/L) to evaluate the dynamic removal behavior of BB41. Optimization was achieved through a one-variable-at-a-time method to identify the optimum conditions for maximizing adsorption performance. The data were analyzed using established breakthrough models, including Thomas and Yoon-Nelson to elucidate the mass transfer kinetics and predict column performance. The results revealed significant adsorption capacity of 29.52 mg/g and removal efficiency > 80%, with the Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models best characterizing the breakthrough behavior (R 2 > 96) at flow rates (5 mL/min), bed heights (3 cm), and dye concentrations (25 mg/L) demonstrating the potential of MIOTMC as a cost-effective, sustainable, and efficient adsorbent in continuous wastewater treatment applications.