Dual Functional Composite of Montmorillonite-Rich/Chitosan (MCC) for Decolorizing the Water Used in Joss Paper Process: Thermodynamic, Isotherm, and Kinetic Studies

A hybrid montmorillonite (Mt)-rich/chitosan composite (MCC) with high adsorption performance was synthesized for the decolorization of water used in the joss paper process. The performance was reported in terms of the dye removal. The composite expressed higher performance than chitosan or Mt-rich clay, respectively. The optimum condition for complete dye removal was achieved when using at least 0.6 g of the composite over a wide pH range (3–10) and initial dye concentration (10–100 mg L−1). The composite showed good reusability without the requirement of regeneration, adsorbing the dye completely for up to eight successive cycles of adsorption (>1.33 gdye gMCC−1). Thermodynamic analyses revealed the degree of spontaneity and the endothermic adsorption process. From the isotherm studies, the Koble–Corrigan isotherm model fitted very well to the experimental data, revealing that the composite had a heterogeneous surface with various active sites to adsorb the dye molecules. This also evidenced the synergistic electrostatic attraction and hydrophobic interaction between the dye and the composite. The pseudo-second-order model best explained the kinetic rate of adsorption. From evaluation of the adsorption process using the Webber and Morris equation and Boyd model, the rate-limiting step consisted of film diffusion and intra-particle diffusion.