Natural polysaccharides, notably starch, have garnered attention for their accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and biodegradability. Modifying starch to carboxymethyl starch enhances its solubility, swelling capacity, and adsorption efficiency. This research examines the synthesis of an effective hydrogel adsorbent based on carboxymethyl starch for the elimination of methylene blue from aqueous solutions. The hydrogel was synthesized using polyacrylamide and polyacrylic acid as monomers, ammonium persulfate as the initiator, and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide as the cross-linker. Through FESEM, swelling morphology was evaluated in both distilled water and methylene blue dye. The adsorption data elucidated that the adsorption capacity of the hydrogel significantly depends on the dosage of the adsorbent, pH, and concentration of the MB dye. At a pH of 7 and a dye concentration of 250 mg/L, the hydrogel exhibited an impressive 95 % removal rate for methylene blue. The results indicate that the adsorption process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics and conforms well to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, indicating a maximum adsorption capacity of 1700 mg/g. According to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and FTIR analysis, methylene blue chemisorbs to the adsorbent material. Hydrogel absorbents regulate adsorption through both intra-particle diffusion and liquid film diffusion. These results highlight the potential of the new hydrogel absorber for water purification.
Keywords: Carboxymethyl starch; Dye adsorption; Hydrogels.
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