Synthesis of Chitosan-Silica Nanocomposite for Removal of Methyl Orange from Water: Composite Characterization and Adsorption Performance

Abstract

Commercial chitosan (CH) was compositing with nanosilica prepared by the sol-gel method and was applied as an adsorbent for removal of Methyl-Orange (MO) dye from wastewater. Chitosan-Silica (CHS) was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and BET. The adsorption capacity of MO on CHS reached maximum 7.0mg.g-1 on pH range 2.5 to 5, at equilibrium time 20 min. The effects of parameters, such as contact time, the adsorbent dosage of adsorbent, initial dye concentration on the removal of MO dye were examined. In general, the short time of MO dye removal, high adsorption capacity high, and dispensability in water, easy to remove by filtration suggests that CHS possesses high potential application for removal of MO from water, and can be considered as an eco-friendly adsorbent in water treatment processes.