New polymeric matrix of polylactic acid/sodium alginate/carbon nanoparticles (PLA/SA/CNP) for efficient removal of methylene blue

Abstract

For the adsorption of methylene blue (MB), novel bio-polymeric matrices prepared from polylactic acid/sodium alginate (PLA/SA) and polylactic acid/sodium alginate/carbon nanoparticle (PLA/SA/CNP) as green adsorbates were prepared in the form of beads. The developed adsorbent was analyzed using scanning electron microscopes and Fourier transform infrared spectrometers. The percentage of adsorbed dye increased with increasing CNP content, and the optimum ratio was 5% wt. The efficiency of the beads' removal and adsorption capacity were evaluated concerning with (adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial pH, and concentration of adsorbate). After 120 min using 50 mg of PLA/SA/CNP beads, the adsorptive removal process for MB dye was determined to have the maximum rate at pH 9. The models of Langmuir and Freundlich were used to illustrate the experimental data. Langmuir models determined the highest adsorption capacity to be 304.88 mg/g.