Green Synthesis and Characterization of Guar Gum/Polyacrylamide/Activated Carbon Hydrogel for Efficient Methylene Blue Removal
نویسندگان
1 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Kerbala, Karbala, Iraq
2 Department of Medical Laboratories Technology, Al-Nisour University College, Baghdad, Iraq
3 Department of Chemistry, College of Science for Women, University of Babylon, Iraq
4 Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Al-Ameed, Iraq
5 College of pharmacy, University of Karbala, Iraq
6 Al-Hadi University College, Baghdad, Iraq
7 Department of Food Technology, Urgench State University; Uzbekistan
8 Department of Chemistry, College of Science for Women, University of Babylon, Iraq
doi
10.22052/JNS.2025.04.028چکیده
An innovative approach was developed for removing highly potent dyes, such as methylene blue (MB), from simulated solutions under various application conditions. The sorbent material was green hydrogels based on guar gum/polyacrylamide (GG/PAm) fabricated with activated carbon (GG/PAAm/AC). The crosslinker N, N’-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) and the initiator potassium persulfate (KPS) were used in minimal amounts to adhere to green chemistry principles. The synthesis was performed under mild conditions, and the polymerisation was carried out at 60 °C, indicating a lower energy requirement. Different combinations were tried, varying the concentrations of GG (0.12–0.2 g), PAm (0.3–3 g), AC (0.01-0.1g) , KPS (0.01–0.1 g), and MBA (0.02–0.12 g). Of the ratios investigated, the best configuration of hydrogels was 0.15 g GG, 2.0 g , PAM, 0.08 g AC , 0.05 g KPS, and 0.08 g MBA, which generated a hydrogel with increased water-holding and hardness, and a higher adsorptive rate. The effect of AC on the crystallographic and thermal properties of the hydrogel composites was verified via the XRD and TGA analyses, respectively. The reactivation efficiency of the prepared composite surface initially reached 98% after the first regeneration cycle and decreased to 81% by the fifth cycle. This gradual decline indicates partial loss of active sites over successive uses. However, the presence of active carbon (AC) played a critical and effective role in maintaining regeneration performance by providing a stable, high-surface-area network that supports dye desorption and functional group recovery. The reusability investigation demonstrated that the sorbents were highly effective in removing significant amounts of pollutants after four adsorption–desorption cycles.
