Removal of Selected Dyes on Activated Carbons

Abstract

Dyes are widely used in various industries such as those involving paper, food, plastics, and fibers. The produced wastewater has a specific character. Organic substances found in wastewater and when introduced into natural water bodies have a toxic effect on living organisms, causing increased chemical and biological oxygen demand. Some dyes, even in very low concentrations, cause intense colouring. To remove dyes from wastewater, methods such as flotation, oxidation, ozonation, filtration or coagulation with metal compounds are used. Unfortunately, when these methods are used, very large amounts of sludge are produced, which is another problem for the environment. Therefore, one of the methods that can effectively remove dyes from wastewater without creating large amounts of waste is activated carbon adsorption. Adsorption methods in the treatment of wastewater from the dye industry are of particular importance due to their high efficiency, ability to operate over a relatively wide range of concentrations, and availability. The most common adsorbent is activated carbon, which has a high adsorption capacity against many organic compounds. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of filtration rate and type of activated carbon on the removal efficiency of selected cationic (anilan yellow) and anionic (tartrazine) dyes from aqueous solutions.