Spectrophotometric Analysis and Removal of Fluorescein Sodium Dye from Aqueous Solution using Activated Charcoal & Bentonite

This work aims to study the adsorption of dyes on a adsorbent.Efficiency and performance of adsorbents like activated charcoal and bentonite clay for the removal of dye from aqueous effluents have been studied. The influence of variables including pH, initial dye concentration and contact time on dye removal have been investigated. It was found that more than 98 % removal efficiency was obtained within 15 minutes at adsorbent dose of 1g for higher initial dye concentration at pH 8 and pH 2. Intense sunlight degrades fluorescein quickly but samples are stable if kept in dark. Degradation slows down as dye concentration rises. The property of fluorescein sodium solution to change its color according to its concentration can be used to visualize the vapourization of plane and the adsorbent used is very effective for removal of dyes. Removal capacity of natural bentonite clay confirms the presence of montmorillonite unit and presence of electron donor functional groups in activated charcoal.