Removal Of BTX From Aqueous Solutions by Adsorption Using PDMS Foam

The provision of adequate clean water for the expanding population and industry is a global issue. This underscores the crucial need to eliminate toxic pollutants from water and the environment. Among the most prevalent contaminants in industrial wastewater are benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX). Due to their toxic and carcinogenic properties, treating BTX-containing industrial wastewater before discharging it into open water is crucial. This study explores the effective removal of BTX from aqueous solutions through monocomponent adsorption using innovative polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) foam. Adsorption performance was optimised under various experimental conditions, including the effects of contact time, adsorption dosage, and initial concentration. The best conditions were 0.2 g of PDMS foam in 40 mL of BTX solution at room temperature for six hours. The adsorption capacity of PDMS foam followed the order X > T > B, as the adsorption capacity for X is 17.59 mg/g and the rate constant is 0.1512 mg/g.h. The adsorption data exhibited a good fit with Freundlich isotherms and a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Based on experimental findings, PDMS foam shows considerable promise as an effective adsorbent for removing BTX from water.