Removal of dye using powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam

This study investigates the potential use of powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam (PAC/PUF) as an adsorbent to remove Congo Red dye from synthetic aqueous solution. The adsorbent is crucial to the removal of Congo Red as the dye is known to be carcinogenic and mutagenic in nature. A...

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Main Author: Ki, Eileen Li Sze
Format: Final Year Project / Dissertation / Thesis
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:http://eprints.utar.edu.my/5582/
http://eprints.utar.edu.my/5582/1/1801584_FYP_Report.pdf
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author Ki, Eileen Li Sze
author_facet Ki, Eileen Li Sze
author_sort Ki, Eileen Li Sze
building UTAR Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This study investigates the potential use of powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam (PAC/PUF) as an adsorbent to remove Congo Red dye from synthetic aqueous solution. The adsorbent is crucial to the removal of Congo Red as the dye is known to be carcinogenic and mutagenic in nature. A little concentration of less than 1 part per million (ppm) is enough to pollute the water bodies, prevent photosynthesis and affect aquatic growth. The PAC/PUF was synthesized by the dip-coating method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), Xray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The findings indicated that PAC was effectively coated on the dodecahedral skeleton surface of the PUF. Response surface methodology based on central composite design was used to optimize the effect of different adsorption parameters such as the pH, contact time, and initial concentration of dye. The optimal adsorption efficiency of Congo Red was 89.86 % at a pH of 3.854, contact time of 137.55 min, and initial concentration of dye at 33.566 mg/L. Removal of dye in low pH was better than in high pH solutions. The efficiency of adsorption improved with longer contact time but declined with increasing initial dye concentration. The kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption kinetic of Congo Red onto PAC/PUF followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model. The equilibrium data also revealed that the Langmuir isotherm model was more suitable for describing the dye adsorption. According to EDX, XRD, and FTIR characterizations, Congo Red was successfully adsorbed by PAC/PUF, suggesting both electrostatic and physical interactions between the dye and the PAC/PUF surface functional groups. Lastly, a comparison among PAC/PUF, PAC, and PUF adsorptions showed that PAC/PUF obtained the highest adsorption efficiency of Congo Red, further proved the potential use of PAC/PUF in adsorbing Congo Red.
first_indexed 2025-11-15T19:38:43Z
format Final Year Project / Dissertation / Thesis
id utar-5582
institution Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-15T19:38:43Z
publishDate 2023
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling utar-55822023-07-03T17:55:50Z Removal of dye using powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam Ki, Eileen Li Sze TP Chemical technology This study investigates the potential use of powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam (PAC/PUF) as an adsorbent to remove Congo Red dye from synthetic aqueous solution. The adsorbent is crucial to the removal of Congo Red as the dye is known to be carcinogenic and mutagenic in nature. A little concentration of less than 1 part per million (ppm) is enough to pollute the water bodies, prevent photosynthesis and affect aquatic growth. The PAC/PUF was synthesized by the dip-coating method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), Xray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The findings indicated that PAC was effectively coated on the dodecahedral skeleton surface of the PUF. Response surface methodology based on central composite design was used to optimize the effect of different adsorption parameters such as the pH, contact time, and initial concentration of dye. The optimal adsorption efficiency of Congo Red was 89.86 % at a pH of 3.854, contact time of 137.55 min, and initial concentration of dye at 33.566 mg/L. Removal of dye in low pH was better than in high pH solutions. The efficiency of adsorption improved with longer contact time but declined with increasing initial dye concentration. The kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption kinetic of Congo Red onto PAC/PUF followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model. The equilibrium data also revealed that the Langmuir isotherm model was more suitable for describing the dye adsorption. According to EDX, XRD, and FTIR characterizations, Congo Red was successfully adsorbed by PAC/PUF, suggesting both electrostatic and physical interactions between the dye and the PAC/PUF surface functional groups. Lastly, a comparison among PAC/PUF, PAC, and PUF adsorptions showed that PAC/PUF obtained the highest adsorption efficiency of Congo Red, further proved the potential use of PAC/PUF in adsorbing Congo Red. 2023 Final Year Project / Dissertation / Thesis NonPeerReviewed application/pdf http://eprints.utar.edu.my/5582/1/1801584_FYP_Report.pdf Ki, Eileen Li Sze (2023) Removal of dye using powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam. Final Year Project, UTAR. http://eprints.utar.edu.my/5582/
spellingShingle TP Chemical technology
Ki, Eileen Li Sze
Removal of dye using powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam
title Removal of dye using powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam
title_full Removal of dye using powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam
title_fullStr Removal of dye using powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam
title_full_unstemmed Removal of dye using powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam
title_short Removal of dye using powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam
title_sort removal of dye using powdered activated carbon coated on polyurethane foam
topic TP Chemical technology
url http://eprints.utar.edu.my/5582/
http://eprints.utar.edu.my/5582/1/1801584_FYP_Report.pdf