Adsorption of cationic dyes on Jalshakti®, super absorbent polymer and photocatalytic regeneration of the adsorbent

This paper presents a study on the batch adsorption kinetics of seven cationic dyes, namely, Methylene Blue, Safranine T, Rhodamine B, Crystal Violet, Malachite Green, Brilliant Green, and Basic Fuchsine onto Jalshakti® (JS), a super absorbent polymer, from aqueous solution. The adsorption of dyes reaches equilibrium in 60-90 min. Equilibrium isotherms and intraparticle diffusion rate constants were measured for single component systems. It is found that uptake of dyes on JS follows the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The particle diffusion study showed that the initial boundary layer diffusion is followed by intraparticle diffusion effects. The flat and planar dye molecules are readily adsorbed as compared with the propeller shaped triphenylmethane dyes. Photocatalytic regeneration of spent JS using UV/TiO2 is more effective compared to conventional methods. Further, the regenerated JS exhibits 90% efficiency for subsequent adsorption cycle with Methylene Blue and Safranine T aqueous solutions.