Removal of Dyes From Wastewater by Adsorption Onto Low-Cost Adsorbents

Abstract

This chapter describes an up-to-date critique of the use of adsorption as a wastewater treatment technique for the removal of dyes. The topics range from the classification of dyes, their occurrence in water and toxicity, various treatment methods, and dye adsorption dynamics onto agricultural wastes and inorganic adsorbents such as clay and metal oxides and adsorption onto microbial biomass under varying operational conditions. It is demonstrated that the discussed materials form alternative adsorbents for dye adsorption from aqueous solutions with comparable or better removal efficiencies relative to the non-renewable coal-based granular activated carbons; they are cheap and abundant. The relative performance of the adsorbents under different environmental parameters for dye removal has also presented. The deductions made and alluded to from various kinetic and adsorption isotherm models are also discussed. The chapter presents the past, present, and suggestions for future considerations in search of non-conventional adsorbents for dye sequestration from aqueous solution.