Zeolite-Y incorporated karaya gum hydrogel composites for highly effective removal of cationic dyes

This research paper reports the feasibility of utilizing zeolite-Y incorporated hydrogel composite (ZHC) of gum karaya (GK) as a potential adsorbent to treat cationic dyes contaminated wastewater. Initially, the crosslinked hydrogel of GK with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and acrylic acid (AA) was synthesized via grafting and subsequently zeolite-Y particle were homogeneously dispersed thought-out the polymer matrix. Changes in the property profile of parental hydrogel polymer after incorporating zeolite-Y were studied using SEM, X-ray diffraction, FTIR and TEM techniques. For dye adsorption studies, brilliant green dye (BG) was taken as the target pollutant. Adsorption isotherm followed Langmuir model with 1461.35 mg/g adsorption capacity and the adsorption kinetics was most appropriately explained using pseudo-second-order model. Diffusion of dye molecules into the internal structure of ZHC was governed collectively by intraparticle and liquid film diffusion mechanisms. Furthermore, ZHC was regenerated and applied six times repeatedly to adsorb dye without much alteration in the performance.