Montmorillonite as Adsorbent for the Removal of Methyl Red from Aqueous Solution

Abstract

In this study, an organo-clay, montmorillonite (Mt), was used for the removal of methyl red (MR) from aqueous solution. The effect of different parameters on the sorption, such as contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, initial MR concentration and ionic strength was investigated in batch system. The sorbent was specified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The optimum uptake capacity of the sorbent (30.84 mg/g) was achieved within 30 min. The solution pH had a significant effect on the sorption capacity of MR by Mt. The experimental data of the sorption was well fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. The results showed that the Mt can be applied as an effective and cheap sorbent for the removal of MR from aqueous solutions.