Investigation of the ability for removal of methylene blue cationic dye in aqueous samples using synthetic polymers

In this research, the ability for removal of methylene blue cationic dye using Electro active polymers based on polypyrrole (PPy) and poly (3-methylthiophene) (P3MTh) in a batch system were studied. Sawdust (SD) was made from wood, after patching, as a holder for coating polymers and Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Anionic Surfactant (SDS) was used to modify the surface of the sawdust. The effects of some important parameters such as pH, initial concentration of dye and contact time were investigated. To evaluate the obtained data, adsorption isotherm curves (Langmuir and Freundlich) were used. The adsorption efficiency for methylene blue was maximized at alkaline pH. Adsorption capacity increased with increasing initial concentration and contact time. In all cases, the adsorption process complies with Langmuir isotherm and represents the homogeneous and single-layer process. Also, the adsorption capacity obtained in SD/PPy, SD /PPy / SDS and SD / P3MTh polymers were 59/52, 400 and 1000 mg/g, respectively. Based on the studies and the results obtained in this study, it was found that these polymer materials can effectively be used in waste dyes, such as textile industry, which they have the great environmental significance.