Starch/polyaniline nanocomposite for enhanced removal of reactive dyes from synthetic effluent

► Starch/polyaniline nanocomposite – an eco-friendly polymer matrix for the treatment of dye bath effluents. ► The nanocomposite decolorized 87% of dye bath effluent. ► The removal of dyes is largely depending on the solution pH. ► The removal process followed Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-first order kinetics. Starch/polyaniline nanocomposite was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline and was subsequently analyzed for dye removal from aqueous solution. Batch experiment results showed that nanocomposite removed 99% of Reactive Black 5, 98% of Reactive Violet 4, and decolorized 87% of dye bath effluent. The Toth isotherm model better described single component equilibrium adsorption, whereas the modified Freundlich model showed satisfactory fit for dye bath. In kinetic modeling, single system followed pseudo-second-order and dye bath followed the modified pseudo-first-order model. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy pattern of the nanocomposite showed the participation of aromatic, amino, hydroxyl, and carboxyl groups. The results indicate that starch/polyaniline nanocomposite can be used as an effective adsorbent for removal of dyes from textile effluents.