Fabrication, Properties, and Performance of Polymer-Clay Nanocomposites for Organic Dye Removal from Aqueous Media

Methylene blue dye (MB dye) is a harmful contaminant for wastewater streams of industries and to human aquatic life. An ecofriendly sugar templating process was used generate porous bentonite/polydimethylsiloxane (PB) magnetite nanoparticles/bentonite/polydimethylsiloxane (PBNP) composite absorbents remove MB in this study. During the infiltration PDMS solution into template vacuum chamber, bentonite particles were integrated on surface PDMS, structure generated during leaching out water. The characterized using Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) scanning electron microscopy (SEM). absence methyl bond at 2924 cm-1 phenol 3325 FTIR spectra formed membrane proves that food grade completely removed. SEM images confirm porosity achieved as well uniform mixing formation composite. effectively removed from as-prepared absorbent. removal efficiencies PBNP PB ~91% ~85%, respectively. experimental data applied pseudo-first-order (PFO) pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic models Dubinin-Radushkevich, Harkins-Jura, Elovich adsorption isotherm. found fit models, results show presence nanoparticles improved significantly.