Efficient removal of organic dyes from aqueous solution with ecofriendly biomass-derived carbon@montmorillonite nanocomposites by one-step hydrothermal process

Biomass-derived amorphous carbon produced by hydrothermal process has received considerable attention in recent decades for its great potential application. In this paper, environmentally benign amorphous carbon supported on montmorillonite clay (MMT@C) were designed and fabricated by a facile hydrothermal route using the glucose biomass as a carbonaceous source. The resulting nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements. The adsorption performance of MMT@C nanocomposites were systematically investigated and discussed using methylene blue (MB) as a model pollutant in aqueous solution by a batch technique under different conditions of initial dye concentration, contact time and solution pH. The kinetics of adsorption process was determined by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetics models, and the results indicated that the adsorption kinetics followed pseudo-second-order model. The equilibrium adsorption data of MB on MMT@C nanocomposites were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich models, and found to fit better to the Langmuir model. The adsorption capacity for the removal of MB on MMT@C nanocomposites determined using the Langmuir equation was 194.2 mg g(-1). This study suggests that carbon-clay nanocomposites could be explored as a new type of the highly efficient and green adsorbent for environmental pollution control. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.