Plasma activation and acrylic acid grafting on polypropylene nonwoven surface for the removal of cationic dye from aqueous media

In this paper, the preparation, characterization and cationic dye adsorption properties of acrylic acid-grafted polypropylene nonwoven (AA-PP) using plasma as a surface activation pretreatment were investigated. Surface characteristics of AA-PP were studied using attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Methylene blue was used as a model dye. The effects of operational parameters such as AA-PP dosage, initial dye concentration, and pH on dye removal were evaluated. The isotherm and kinetics of dye adsorption were also studied. The data were evaluated for compliance with the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models. It was found that the dye adsorption followed Freundlich isotherm. The rates of sorption were found to conform to pseudo-first-order kinetics with good correlation. Results indicated that AA-PP could be used as a cheap, long–lasting, and more environmentally friendly sorbent to remove cationic organics from contaminated water, compared to other adsorbents.