Eriochrme black-T removal from aqueous environment by surfactant modified clay: equilibrium, kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic studies

In this study, the removal of Eriochrome black T (EBT) from aqueous solutions was evaluated by cationic surfactant of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HDTMA)-modified montmorillonite clay (MC). The effects of contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, EBT concentration, solution ion strength, and temperature were investigated on the EBT removal. HDTMA-MC was also examined by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The results illustrated that the experimental data were well followed by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. The results also showed HDTMA-MC can be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of EBT from aqueous solution.