Author : Nijagala Munilakshmi ,Muduru Srimurali and Janakiram Karthikeyan

Aqueous Acid Red1 dye was decolorized by adsorption onto preformed flocs of Aluminium Sulphate, Ferric Chloride and Ferrous Sulphate. To understand the potentiality of preformed flocs, experiments were conducted to determine equilibrium time, optimum dose of adsorbent, optimum pH, adsorption isotherm and intraparticle diffusion. The corresponding results showed that excellent colour removal of Acid Red1 can be achieved with preformed flocs at pH of 4 than 10. The maximum adsorption capacity of Ferric chloride, Aluminium Sulphate and Ferrous Sulphate flocs was 250mg/g, 32.26mg/g and 6.623mg/g respectively. The FTIR analysis was done to know the type of chemical bonds involved in the colour removal. The isothermal equilibrium sorption data fitted well into the Langmuir Isotherm. Kinetic studies revealed that the interaction is of chemical Nature. Pore diffusion seems to the rate limiting step.

Keywords: Adsorption, preformed flocs, Aluminium Sulphate, Ferric Chloride, Ferrous Sulphate

Article published in International Journal of Current  Engineering  and Technology, Vol.3,No.4(Oct- 2013)