Alumina particles doped with ferric as efficient adsorbent for removal of Reactive Orange 16 from aqueous solutions

Ferric oxide doped alumina particles were prepared via the sol-gel method and their performance as Reactive Orange 16 adsorbent was evaluated. The concentrations of the Reactive Orange 16 were monitored using a UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The effect of Reactive Orange 16 concentration, adsorbent quantity and pH on the solution decolorization efficiency was analyzed. The efficiency of the Reactive Orange 16 removal using ferric oxide alumina doped exceeded 98% in 20 min at pH=3. The experimental data were fitted to the Langmuir equation better than to the Freundlich one. The pseudo-first-order model fits well with the experimental data for adsorption kinetics.