Preparation of Ca/Al-Layered Double Hydroxides/Biochar Composite with High Adsorption Capacity and Selectivity toward Cationic Dyes in Aqueous

Widely reports have evaluated the use of biochar (BC) composites to layered double hydroxide (LDH) to adsorb dyes from wastewater. However, its applicability for adsorbing a mixture of cationic dyes such as Malachite green (MG), Rodhamine-B (Rh-B), and Methylene blue (MB), which causes carcinogenic and mutagenic effects on aquatic life, has not been studied. In this work, we compared the performance of CaAl-LDH/BC adsorbent with or without the addition of BC in the adsorption of cationic dyes. The adsorption study was prepared in a batch system using various temperatures, concentrations, and also contact time. The results of the characterization of Ca/Al-Biochar composite showed the unique diffraction of XRD pattern, and also showed two characteristics of starting materials. Surface area analysis by BET method showed Ca/Al-Biochar composite has a higher surface area than starting material. The results of the adsorption study of MG showed that Ca/Al-Biochar follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption capacity of MG on Ca/Al-Biochar was up to 71.429 mg/g and shows selectivity toward MG in an aqueous solution. Copyright (C) 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group.

Automated summary

This study compared the performance of biochar composites with layered double hydroxide in adsorbing cationic dyes, finding that the Ca/Al-Biochar composite had a higher adsorption capacity and selectivity towards Malachite green. The results suggest that this composite material could be a promising adsorbent for removing harmful dyes from wastewater.