Application of the central composite design to study the flocculation of an anionic azo dye using quaternized cellulose nanofibrils

Patrick James Quinlan; Aafia Tanvir; Kam Chiu Tam

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2015.06.095

Application of the central composite design to study the flocculation of an anionic azo dye using quaternized cellulose nanofibrils

Carbohydr Polym. 2015 Nov 20:133:80-9. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2015.06.095. Epub 2015 Jul 10.

Authors

Patrick James Quinlan¹, Aafia Tanvir², Kam Chiu Tam³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1; Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1; Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1. Electronic address: mkctam@uwaterloo.ca.

PMID: 26344258
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2015.06.095

Abstract

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) grafted with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC), containing quaternary ammonium contents of 0.44 (QCNF-1), 1.47 (QCNF-2), and 2.28 (QCNF-3) meqg(-1), were evaluated as flocculants for the removal of Reactive Orange 16, an anionic azo dye, from aqueous solution. A rotatable and orthogonal central composite design was used to examine the performance of QCNFs under a range of experimental conditions. Removal efficiencies at the centre point of the design space were found to be 236.9±7.8, 254.2±3.8, and 264.6±2.8mgg(-1) for QCNF-1, QCNF-2 and QCNF-3, respectively. The highest removal efficiency, 295.1mgg(-1), was observed when using QCNF-3 at a low monovalent salt concentration. The QCNF reported herein provides a sustainable and biodegradable alternative to traditional synthetic flocculants for the decolorization of dye-containing effluents.

Keywords: Anionic dye; Cellulose nanofibrils; Flocculation; Quaternized; Wastewater.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't