Purushothaman Monash

Removal of Crystal Violet Dye from Aqueous Solution Using Calcined and Uncalcined Mixed Clay Adsorbents

In this work, calcined and uncalcined mixed clays containing kaolin, ball clay, feldspar, pyrophyllite, and quartz are examined as a potential adsorbent for the removal of crystal violet dye from aqueous solution. These clays are characterized by nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The kinetics and thermodynamic parameters as well as the effects of the pH, the temperature, and the adsorbent dosage have also been investigated. The experimental results indicate that the Langmuir model expresses the adsorption isotherm better than the Freundlich model. The obtained result showed a tremendous increase in the crystal violet adsorption capacity (1.9 × 10−3 mol g−1) after calcination, which is one order greater than that of the uncalcined mixed clay. The mechanism of the adsorption process is elucidated on the basis of experimental data. The percentage removal of crystal violet dye increases with increasing the pH, the temperature, and the adsorbent dosage. The investigation of kinetic studies indicates that the adsorption of crystal violet on calcined and uncalcined mixed clays could be described by the pseudo-second-order model. The negative Δ G 0 values obtained from the thermodynamic investigation confirm that the adsorption is spontaneous in nature. The adsorption results suggest that the calcined and uncalcined mixed clays can also be used as low cost alternatives to the expensive activated carbon for the removal of dyes from aqueous solution.

Surface chemistry and adsorption mechanism of cadmium ion on activated carbon derived from Garcinia mangostana shell

A detailed surface characterizations and adsorption mechanism of Cd2+ on chemical activated carbon (CAC) prepared from Garnicia mangostana shell were investigated. The activation is accomplished in self-generating atmosphere using phosphoric acid as activating agent. The characterizations performed are elemental analysis, functional group identification, N2 adsorption isotherm and surface charges. Adsorption mechanism of metal ion was tested using Cd2+ as model ion. CAC achieved BET surface area of 1,498 m2/g with a mixture of micro and mesopores. The point of zero charge is observed to be at pH 2.8 and the optimum pH for Cd2+ adsorption on CAC is 12. The adsorption isotherm followed the Freundlich model, and the adsorption kinetics was explained by pseudo-second order kinetic model. From thermodynamic studies, the adsorption was found to be physical adsorption. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the adsorption of Cd2+ onto CAC as +2 oxidation state.

Various Fabrication Methods of Porous Ceramic Supports for Membrane Applications

Abstract In this article, a general review on porous ceramic membrane supports was done with reference to fabrication methods. Each method was detailed, along with the raw materials used for the fabrication of membrane supports. Characteristics such as pore size and porosity of the porous membrane support were summarized for each fabrication method from the viewpoint of sintering temperature, starting raw materials, sintering aids, and additives. Membrane supports fabricated by various fabrication methods such as powder pressing, colloidal processing, and paste processing were reviewed. This will be helpful for beginners in selecting a suitable fabrication method to shape their membrane and utilize the membrane support for further processing such as selective layer formation, which plays an important role in separation performance.