Sorption study of an acid dye from an aqueous solutions using modified clays

The removal of the pollutant Supranol Yellow 4GL (S.Y.4GL) was studied by using different clays: clay exchanged with sodium (BNa+) and hydroxyaluminic polycation pillared clays in the presence or absence of non-ionic surfactant. While decomposing the surfactant at 500 °C, the surface of the clay changed significantly. The study of the behaviour of the three clays with respect to coloring solutions, allowed to determine the equilibrium time and the rate-determining step of the dye S.Y.4GL adsorption. Two simplified kinetic models, were tested to investigate the adsorption mechanisms in terms of pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order equations. Besides, the adsorption capacity data were fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich equations as well. A better fixation was obtained with an acidic pH. The effect of temperature on the adsorption of dye has been also studied and the thermodynamic parameters ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS° were determined.