Use of Brazilian Kaolin as a Potential Low-cost Adsorbent for the Removal of Malachite Green from Colored Effluents

This study investigated the potential of Brazilian kaolin as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of Malachite Green (MG) from colored effluents. The morphology, chemical structure and surface properties of the adsorbent were investigated by characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and particle size distribution. A possible technological application of raw kaolin is the MG removal from aqueous media, which was investigated using batch adsorption experiments. The adsorption kinetics was studied using the pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and Elovich models. The adsorption isotherms were studied using the Langmuir, Freundlich and Sips models. The Elovich model was the more adequate to represent the adsorption kinetic, while the equilibrium was well represented by the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity, at pH of 6.3 and temperature of 25ºC, was 128 mg g-1, and this satisfactory result may be associated with some adsorbent properties. Therefore, the results revealed that raw kaolin can be utilized as a promising low-cost adsorbent to remove MG from colored effluents.