Removal of Carcinogenic Dyes Congo red (CR) and Bismarck brown Y (BBY) by Adsorption onto Reusable Hydrogels Derived from Acrylamide

Abstract

Abstract Hydrogels of acrylamide (AM), acrylamide\ 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulphonic acid (AMS), and acrylamide\ 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulphonic acid\graphene oxide (AMSGO) were prepared as adsorbents to remove carcinogenic dyes Congo red (CR) and Bismarck brown Y (BBY) from aqueous solutions. Hydrogels were characterized using FSEM and XRD analyses. For both dyes, the synthesized hydrogels demonstrated high adsorption capability at near-neutral pH. Experimental adsorption data were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. It was found that the Langmuir model was more suitable for the experimental data. Kinetic studies found that the pseudo-second-order model demonstrated the best fitting to the experimental data. In addition, thermodynamic studies suggest that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. The prepared hydrogels were regenerated and reused in four consecutive cycles and it could be applied to remove anionic dyes from aqueous solutions as an effective adsorbent.