article · Journal of Applied Polymer Science
Industrial wastewater often contains hazardous dyes that pose serious risks to human health and natural ecosystems. To capture these pollutants, a bio-based composite hydrogel was developed by combining pectin, kappa-carrageenan, polyacrylic acid, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes using gamma irradiation. Introducing the carbon nanotubes doubled the material surface area, expanding it to 689.5 square metres per gramme at an optimal concentration of 0.175 weight percent. This structure facilitated the efficient sequestration of methylene blue dye from aqueous solutions. Laboratory tests demonstrated that the carbon nanotube composite achieved a peak removal efficiency of 96 percent under alkaline conditions at pH 11, outperforming the baseline hydrogel which removed 68.21 percent. Surface analysis confirmed that the composite material adsorbed substantially more dye, following a pseudo-second-order kinetic pathway.
Discharging synthetic dyes into waterways threatens public health and damages aquatic environments. Finding efficient, sustainable materials to capture these toxic compounds is vital for cleaner industrial processing. This research shows that combining natural biopolymers with carbon nanotubes creates a highly absorbent hydrogel capable of removing nearly all targeted dye from water under specific test conditions.
This material is aimed at industrial wastewater treatment applications, specifically targeting facilities that need to clean dye-contaminated effluents before discharge. Potential users include environmental remediation services and manufacturing plants dealing with synthetic colourants. Because testing was limited to laboratory-scale aqueous solutions and material characterisation, the technology remains at an early, experimental stage of development before practical industrial deployment can occur.
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Abstract This study addresses the critical issue of removing toxic dyes from industrial wastewater to protect the environment and human health. To address this challenge, a bio‐based composite hydrogel was synthesized using gamma irradiation, 20 kGy, incorporating multiwalled carbon nanotubes@pectin/κ‐carrageenan/polyacrylic acid (MWCNTs PC/KC/PAAc) for removing methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous solutions. The prepared composites underwent characterization through Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, x‐ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analyses. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis demonstrated a significant increase in surface area upon the addition of MWCNTs. Specifically, the surface area increased from 342.5 m 2 g −1 for PC/KC/PAAc to 689.5 m 2 g −1 when 0.175 wt% of MWCNTs were added. Also, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were utilized to examine the surface topography of PC/KC/PAAc and MWCNTs@PC/KC/PAAc. The results reveal that at 0.175 wt% of MWCNTs, there was a more uniform surface topography with well‐distributed MWCNTs within the matrix. In the adsorption study of MB dye, it was found that the highest MB removal efficiency was achieved at pH 11, with values of 68.21% and 96% for PC/KC/PAAc and MWCNTs@PC/KC/PAAc, respectively. Furthermore, upon studying the effect of MWCNTs (%), the results showed that the removal (%) of PC/KC/PAAc was 68.21 ± 1.02%, and this percentage increased rapidly with the addition of MWCNTs, reaching a maximum of 96 ± 0.85% when 0.175 (wt%) of MWCNTs was added. Isotherm and kinetic modeling demonstrated that MB adsorption follows the Freundlich isotherm for PC/KC/PAAc and the Redlich–Peterson isotherm for MWCNTs@PC/KC/PAAc, both following a pseudo‐second‐order kinetics model. In addition, from AFM data, after MB removal, the height increased significantly from 322 nm for PC/KC/PAAc to 810 nm for MWCNTs@PC/KC/PAAc (0.175 wt%), indicating a substantially higher adsorption of MB by MWCNTs@PC/KC/PAAc.
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DOI: 10.1002/app.55452
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