Starch/rice husk ash based superabsorbent composite: high methylene blue removal efficiency

Superabsorbent hydrogels composites based on the biopolymer starch (ST) and rice husk ash (RHA) were successfully developed and tested towards the removal of methylene blue (MB), a cationic dye. RHA content hit the morphology, mechanical and water uptake properties of the composite. Batch adsorption experiments, carried out under pH 5 at 33 °C and with 2000 mg L −1 as the initial concentration of MB, showed that at 5 wt% RHA the composite exhibited a remarkable adsorption capacity reaching up to 1906.3 mg g −1 within 60 min. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order model and intraparticle diffusion was involved in this process. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm suggested a monolayer formation and spontaneous process. Thermodynamic parameters confirmed the spontaneity of the adsorption and suggested electrostatic interaction among the cationic dye molecules and the anionic adsorption sites on the adsorbent surface. FTIR analysis confirmed the adsorption process occurs via electrostatic mechanism associated with hydrophobic interactions. The adsorbents showed reusability with slight loss of adsorption capacity in five consecutive adsorption/desorption cycles. These results demonstrate ST/RHA superabsorbent composite as a low-cost, eco-friendly, robust and powerful adsorbent material for wastewater remediation.