Kinetic study and equilibrium isotherm analysis of cationic dye adsorption onto attapulgite and rectorite

The adsorption properties of the attapulgite and the rectorite were investigated by removal of a cationic dye, methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The attapulgite and the rectorite were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The analysis of the isotherm equilibrium data using the Langmuir and Freundlich equations showed that the data fitted better with Langmuir model. Pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models were considered to evaluate the rate parameters. The experimental data were well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results indicate that the attapulgite exhibited higher adsorption capacity for MB than rectorite and could be employed as a low-cost alternative in wastewater treatment for the removal of cationic dyes.