Adsorption of monovalent cationic dyes on some silicates

Abstract

Adsorption of two cationic dyes, methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG), was studied on the bentonite, sepiolite and zeolite samples by the batch equilibration technique using a spectrophotometer. In addition, cation exchange capacities (CEC) of samples were determined by$NH_4^+$ saturation using Kjeldhal distillation. The adsorption data was found to conform with the Langmuir equation within the concentration range studied, and Langmuir constants were determined for each of the samples. It was observed that the amount of dyes adsorbed was in excess of CEC in the case of bentonite and sepiolite. The adsorption capacities of the samples for both dyes have the following order: bentonite>sepiolite>zeolite.