Mineral waste from coal mining for removal of astrazon red dye from aqueous solutions

The use of mineral waste from coal mining (MWCM) as an adsorbent for the removal of astrazon red dye (AR) from aqueous solution was studied in detail. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out under varied conditions, such as different initial concentrations of AR, contact time, pH, temperature and calcination of the adsorbent. Investigations revealed that the maximum colour removal was observed for unbuffered solutions. MWCM calcinated at 400 °C (MWCM400) was more efficient for dye removal than samples calcinated at other temperatures. The adsorption isotherm of AR on MWCM400 was determined and correlated with the Langmuir and Freundlich models; the results indicated a better fit for the Langmuir model at all the temperatures studied. Kinetic data were fitted with both pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, and the data were found to follow the latter model more adequately. Calculated thermodynamic and kinetic parameters indicate a predominantly physisorption mechanism for the adsorption of AR onto MWCM400. The amount of AR adsorbed by MWCM400 per unit area was found to be two or three times greater than that by several comparable adsorbents.

Research Highlights
► Mineral waste from coal mining (MWCM) studied as adsorbent for removal of astrazon red dye.
► MWCM most efficient when calcined at 400 °C.
► Adsorption correlates best with Langmuir isotherm
► Kinetic data fits pseudo second-order-model best.
► Adsorbs 2 or 3 times more per unit area than comparable adsorbents.