Ionic liquid functionalized nanoporous silica for removal of anionic dye

► Nanoporous silica was synthesized by using NP-10 and ETS-40 under acidic condition. ► The pore size and surface area of the NPS were 2.4 nm and 949 m2 g− 1, respectively. ► The synthetic route is simple and cost-effective. ► The modified NPS with ionic liquid species was used as an adsorbent. ► The removal of methyl orange was studied by the obtained adsorbent.