Synthesis and Performance Evaluation of Carboxymethyl Cellulose Nanocomposite Hydrogel Adsorbent Grafted with Acrylic Acid and Itaconic Acid Copolymer Containing Carbon Black Nanoparticles for Fuchsin Removal

Hypothesis:

The presence of dyes in water sources has posed challenges for environmental scientists due to their high thermal and chemical stability against degradation by light, heat, and natural oxidants. The presence of dyes in water sources has not only reduced the penetration of sunlight into the water but also endangered the health of humans and living organisms. In this regard, hydrogels are effective adsorbents for the removal of dyes. In this study, carbon black nanoparticles were used to improve the removal performance of fuchsin dye by carboxymethyl cellulose grafted acrylic acid and itaconic acid copolymers hydrogel (carboxymethyl cellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid-co-itaconic acid)/carbon black nanocomposite).

Copolymer and nanocomposite hydrogels were synthesized by free radical polymerization method. The performance of their adsorption in different operating conditions was investigated in batch mode. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy equipped X-ray energy dispersive (SEM-EDS) were used to identify synthesized adsorbents.

The maximum removal efficiency of nanocomposite containing 5% (by weight) of nanoparticles in operating conditions of pH 7, adsorbent dose 1 g/L, initial concentration 10 mg/L and contact time 60 min was 98.76%. Kinetic analysis showed that the experimental data followed a pseudo-second-order model. Examination of the equilibrium data showed that the Langmuir model is the most suitable model for fitting the data. The maximum adsorption capacity for copolymer and nanocomposite hydrogels was 31.6036 and 33.75247 mg/g, respectively, showing the effectiveness of the addition of nanoparticles in improving the performance of the hydrogel for the removal of fuchsin dye. Finally, it can be concluded that the synthesized adsorbents have a high potential for the remediation of fuchsin dye.