The effect of starch modification on the dye adsorption efficiency

Abstract

Researches in the field of nanotechnology indicate the possibility of the development and application of bionanocomposites based on clay minerals and biopolymers as promising materials for the removal of pollutants from contaminated water. Therefore, this study is based on an examination of the effect of intercalation of starch or cationic starch with kaolin clay or diatomaceous earth on the adsorption properties of the obtained materials for the removal of anionic and cationic dyes from aqueous solutions. Structural characterization of the obtained materials was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy while the morphology of the samples was determined by Scanning electron microscopy. The removal efficiency of methyl orange and crystal violet dyes was tested in a batch system, while the dye concentration after the adsorption process was determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. It was found that modification of cationic starch with clay and diatomaceous earth improved the efficiency for removing crystal violet dye from an aqueous solution.