Comparative Study on The Removal of Methylene Blue Dye Using Natural Clays from Two Deposits
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Synthetic dyes, particularly methylene blue (MB), are widely used in the textile industry and often discharged into water bodies, where they create serious ecological and health risks due to their Chemical stability, toxicity, and resistance to conventional treatment methods. Adsorption has emerged as one of the most efficient and economical techniques for dye removal, and natural clays are gaining attention as promising low-cost adsorbents. This study investigates the comparative adsorption performance of natural clays obtained from two different deposits named as Belesa and Homecho. the comparative performance of clays from different deposits in Ethiopia, in terms of their efficiency for dye removal, has not been systematically explored. This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis on the removal of methylene blue dye using natural clays from two distinct deposits in Ethiopia. By examining factors such as mineral composition, surface area and pore structure, the research seeks to identify the most effective clay material for dye removal. Both Belesa and Homecho clays were systematically characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine mineral composition, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis for surface area measurement, X-ray Fluorescent (XRF) to know the elemental composition and Thermogravimetric–differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA) to evaluate thermal behavior. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out at an initial MB concentration of 20 mg/L, with adsorbent dosages of 0.2–0.6 g and contact times of 20–100 minutes. Results showed that both clays exhibited high adsorption efficiency, with removal percentages exceeding 95% and maximum adsorption capacity reaching 10 mg/g with Belesa clay demonstrating slightly superior performance due to its favorable mineralogical composition, reactive surface functional groups, and well-developed mesoporous structure. Equilibrium was achieved within 60 minutes for both clays. However, this study suggest that adsorption performance is influenced not only by surface area but also by pore size, pore volume, crystallinity, and mineral composition indicating that both clays possess high and comparable surface areas suitable for adsorption applications. These findings highlight the potential of naturally available clays as sustainable adsorbents for textile wastewater remediation and provide insights into the influence of mineralogy and surface properties on adsorption performance.
Description
Keywords
Methylene blue, Adsorption, Natural clay, Batch adsorption, Wastewater treatment