In this work, a polypyrrole-polyethyleneimine (PPy-PEI) nano-adsorbent was successfully synthesized for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from an aqueous solution. Synthetic dyes are among the most prevalent environmental contaminants. A new conducting polymer-based adsorbent called (PPy-PEI) was successfully produced using ammonium persulfate as an oxidant. The PEI hyper-branched polymer with terminal amino groups was added to the PPy adsorbent to provide more effective chelating sites for dyes. An efficient dye removal from an aqueous solution was demonstrated using a batch equilibrium technique that included a polyethyleneimine nano-adsorbent (PPy-PEI). The best adsorption parameters were measured at a 0.35 g dosage of adsorbent at a pH of 6.2 and a contact period of 40 min at room temperature. The produced PPy-PEI nano-adsorbent has an average particle size of 25-60 nm and a BET surface area of 17 m2/g. The results revealed that PPy-PEI nano-composite was synthesized, and adsorption was accomplished in the minimum amount of time. The maximum monolayer power, qmax, for MB was calculated using the isothermal adsorption data, which matched the Langmuir isotherm model, and the kinetic adsorption data, which more closely fitted the Langmuir pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The Langmuir model was used to calculate the maximum monolayer capacity, or qmax, for MB, which was found to be 183.3 mg g-1. The as-prepared PPy-PEI nano-adsorbent totally removes the cationic dyes from the aqueous solution.
Keywords: adsorption; methylene blue; polyethyleneimine; polypyrrole; wastewater.