Sorption of acid dyes from aqueous solution by using non-ground ash and slag

The sorption of two acid dyes (Acid Yellow 99 and Acid Red 183) into locally available industrial waste materials, namely, Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS) and Furnace Bottom Ash (FBA), has been investigated by performing batch equilibrium experiments with pH, ionic conductivity, initial dye concentration and temperature as variables. The kinetic sorption data indicated that the sorption capacity of GBFS for these dyes was almost zero. On the other hand, the color removal efficiency for FBA could reach 50% depending on the initial dye concentration. It was also found that the kinetics of sorption of Acid Yellow 99 and Acid Red 183 onto the surface of FBA at different operating conditions were best described by the Elovich kinetic model. In addition, the adsorption equilibrium data were analyzed using various adsorption isotherm models and the results have shown that the sorption behaviors of the studied dyes could be best described by the Langmuir model.