Adsorption studies of cationic and anionic dyes on synthetic ball clay

This study evaluated the use of synthetic ball clay to remove Methylene Blue (cationic dye) and Congo Red (anionic dye) from aqueous solution. The ball clay was prepared by sol‐gel process and characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), specific surface area (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. The effect of different operational parameters for enhanced dyes adsorption by ball clay was studied, such as: adsorbent mass, contact time, initial concentration of pollutant and solution pH. The Experimental results showed that all these parameters have an impact on the removal efficiency of these dyes by the ball clay. The equilibrium adsorption data obtained at 20°C were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The results showed that the synthesized ball clay sample is an efficient adsorbent for the adsorptive removal of dyes from aqueous solution