Removal of Aniline from Aqueous Solution by Adsorption on a Modified Montmorillonite Clay Kinetic and Thermodynamic Studies

Abstract

This work concerns the application of treated montmorillonite clay in the adsorption of Aniline as an organic pollutant in the wastewater. The characteristics of clay were evaluated by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Additionally, the effect of different factors such as type of treatment, adsorbent dosage, contact time, solution temperature and pH were studied. The experimental data was evaluated by two kinetic models; pseudo-first and pseudo-second order. The results indicated that the adsorption followed pseudo-second-order models with coefficient R2 = 0.9928. The equilibrium time of Aniline was obtained after 3h. The thermodynamic parameters refer to the adsorption of Aniline on modified clay was endothermic and chemisorption. Because of advantages such as the abundance of clay and speed of the adsorption process, this method could be used to effectively remove aniline from wastewater.