Simultaneous removal of binary dye from textile effluent using cobalt ferrite-alginate nanocomposite: Performance and mechanism

The rapid removal of dye effluent containing two or more dyes is in demand due to its significant environmental issues. The present communication deals with the simultaneous adsorption of Reactive red 195 (RR195) and Reactive yellow 145 (RY145) from a textile dye effluent in a binary component system. Cobalt ferrite-alginate nanocomposite synthesized by ex-situ polymerization was employed as an adsorbent for the removal of binary dye effluent. The first order derivative spectrophotometric method was applied for the simultaneous quantification of RR195 and RY145 in binary solutions. The binary adsorption equilibrium could be achieved within 60 min, and the adsorption process followed pseudo second order kinetics. The removal efficiency could be maintained in a wide pH range of 3-6. The presence of amine, hydroxyl, carbonate and ferrite groups on the adsorbent surface played a vital role in the removal of RR195 and RY145 from their binary mixture. The continuous adsorption experiments revealed that the breakthrough time and exhaustion time increases with an increase in the bed height. The experimental results present new sustainable, cost effective biocompatible nanocomposite as a potential adsorbent for the removal of real-time dye effluent. Moreover, it is magnetically separable and reusable. The cobalt ferrite-alginate as a sole nanocomposite is capable of eliminating the whole dye content from a mixture and serves as a better solution for effective water remediation.