SUPER ABSORBENT POLYMERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION

Laboratory studies reported earlier, have shown very promising results in the selective removal of dyes from aqueous solutions by a commercially available (super absorbent polymer) SAP, Jalshakti ® (JS). JS is mesoporous in nature and is a potential adsorbent for the basic dyes studied. This paper presents the adsorption and kinetic studies for the Methylene blue dye (MB) in a batch mode. The equilibrium adsorption capacity increases from 138.9 to 1428.6 mgg -1 as the initial concentration of MB increases from 100-1000 mg l -1 . The maximum adsorption capacity obtained is 1200 mgg -1 which is more than the adsorbents reported in literature. The Kf value is 165.3 mg 1-(1/n) g -1 L 1/n . The slope 1/n, ranging between 0 and 1, is indicative of the relative energy distribution on the adsorbent surface (or surface heterogeneity) The kinetics of the adsorption process suggests that the pseudo second order model is predominant. The pore diffusion kinetics as described by intraparticle diffusion model also controls the adsorption process but is not the only rate limiting mechanism.