Application of Polythiophene-Sawdust Nano-Biocomposite for Basic Dye Removal Using a Continuous System

A novel dye adsorbent was developed by a poly (3-methyl thiophene) nano layer coated onto sawdust obtained from Narra wood. The polymer was synthesized chemically under in-situ conditions on the surface of the sawdust. Methylene blue, a typical cationic textile dye, was employed as a test probe for adsorption experiments. The experiments were conducted in both batch and fixed-bed column systems. The effects of variables such as pH, initial dye concentration, flow rate, and bed height were investigated. The Thomas dynamic model was applied to calculate the sorption capacity of adsorbents. Based on the breakthrough curves analysis, the highest column capacity of 191mg/g was obtained. The introduced nano-biocomposite was found to be more than seven times more efficient than unmodified sawdust for methylene blue removal. The regeneration of the modified sawdust is quite possible using 0.10M HCl in ethanol as a washing solution with high efficiency.