Ion and adsorbing colloid flotation of auramine

Auramine, a cationic dye, was removed from synthetic wastewater by ion flotation of auramine-sodium lauryl sulfate complex. Over 98% of auramine was removed from the solution in 15 min. A stoichiometric amount of surfactant (1 mol of surfactant to 1 mol of dye) was found to be most effective for auramine removal. The rate of separation and ultimate removal of auramine increased with increasing the rate of air flow and decreased with increasing concentration of NaNO3. Auramine was also removed by adsorbing colloid flotation technique using ferric hydroxide as the coagulant. Sodium lauryl sulfate was used as the collector, and over 95% of auramine was removed in 10 min. The separation efficiency decreased with increasing ionic strength of the solution. The deleterious effect of neutral salt was compensated somewhat with the aid of aluminum ions as the activator. Both ion flotation and adsorbing colloid flotation are promising approaches for the removal of cationic dye from wastewater.