Abstract

Using the batch adsorption technique, an eco-friendly polymer composite made of chitosan, polyaniline, and iron (III) oxide was developed for removal of dye contamination from wastewater. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), EDX (energy dispersive X-ray analysis), and thermogravimetric-derived thermogravimetric (TG-DTG) techniques were used to characterize the sample. According to EDX, the Ch-PANI-Fe2O3 hybrid composite has the following weight ratios: C 34.25%, N 0.48%, O 50.51%, and Fe 3.08%. The nanocomposite's surface was rough with pleats, which was evident from the SEM and TEM images. This surface structure likely contributed to the nanocomposite's higher dye adsorption rate (91.5%). According to SEM analysis, the proportion of Fe2O3 nanoparticles to the chitosan-polyaniline composite changed the hybrids' morphology from granular to an irregular, globular-like structure, which was supported by EDX. The results demonstrated that this polymer matrix (chitosan-PANI-Fe2O3) nanocomposite can be employed as an adsorbent for the effective removal of methyl orange dye, as well as for the removal of dye contamination from wastewater with reusability.