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Abstract
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In recent years, smart and functional polymers such as absorbent hydrogels have been the focus of researchers. Hydrogel is a type of material that is composed of a network of polymer chains that are capable of absorbing and retaining large amounts of water[1]. Hydrogels are versatile materials with numerous applications; however, their potential in water treatment is hindered by their tendency to exhibit high swelling, degradation, and excessive water absorption. In this study, a hydrogel composed of natural clay, Polyacrylamide(PAM( , and Cationic starch was prepared with varying ratios of PAM to control swelling ratio, reduce degradation and enhance adsorption efficiency for removal of anionic dye-contaminated wastewater. The products were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy and swelling capacity. The kinetic behavior was well fitted by the pseudosecond order model, while the adsorption process at equilibrium followed the Langmuir isotherm model. The thermodynamic parameters suggested that the adsorption was exothermic and spontaneous. Overall, the synthesized composite hydrogels could be used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of Acid blue – 158 dye, particularly from textile industry wastewater.
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