CATIONIC DYE ADSORPTION BY ACRYLAMIDE ITACONIC ACID HYDROGELS IN AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS

Acrylamide/itaconic acid (AAm/IA) hydrogels containing different quant ifies of itaconic acid have been irradiated with gamma radiation. The hydrogels were used in an experiment concerning the adsorption of cati onic dyes such as Basic Blue 9, Basic Violet 1 and Basic Blue 12. In t he experiments of the adsorption of dyes from their synthetic aqueous solutions, type S adsorption isotherms were found. One mole of monomer ic unit of AAm/IA hydrogels adsorbed 78.5-513.1 mu mole of Basic Blue 9, 60.2-641.1 mu mole of Basic Violet 1 and, 28.8-593.3 mu mole of Bas ic Blue 12, while acrylamide hydrogel did not adsorb any cationic dye. As a result, if was shown that the AAm/IA hydrogels could be used as an adsorbent for water pollutants such as dyes, and immobilization of these organic contaminants in the hydrogels from waste wafer can solve one of the most important environmental problems of the textile indus try. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.