REMOVAL OF CATIONIC DYES FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

Abstract

Many industries, such as textile, cosmetic, leather, pulp and paper, printing, dye synthesis, food and plastic industries, use dyes extensively. The removal of color from wastewater discharged by these industries is of great concern from an environmental perspective, since most of these dyes are toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. Dyes, even at low concentrations, are visually detectable and affect aquatic flora and fauna and the food web. The discharge of colored waste into watercourses not only degrades the aesthetic perception of the water body, but also prevents the transmission of sunlight to the watercourses and, therefore, prevents photosynthesis in aquatic plants. In this study, the removal of the cationic dye crystal violet from model solutions was chosen. A flotation extraction method was proposed. The effect on the removal efficiency of the type of extractant, duration of flotation extraction, surfactant:dye ratio, initial dye concentration, and pH of solutions was investigated.