Development of Polymer Composite Beads for Dye Adsorption

Abstract

ABSTRACT Polymer composite beads of sugarcane molasses with cellulose (SM-C) were successfully synthesized using a precipitation polymerization technique. The use of sugarcane molasses as a cost-effective adsorbent for treatment of industrial effluents motivated this study. Incorporation of biomaterial (SM) resulted in enhanced adsorption properties of the polymer composite. These synthesized composite beads were utilized for effluent wastewater containing direct blue dye and direct yellow dye. Functional group detection and surface morphology were observed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. A maximum of 50% sugarcane molasses loading was achieved, which resulted in the formation of composite beads. These beads were used to investigate the adsorption of dye from aqueous solution in a batch system. Uptake of dye from the mimicked wastewater system was followed by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectral analysis. Detailed investigation of...