FT-IR and ATR-FTIR studies of sludge (CETP) before and after adsorption of dyes from aqueous solution

FTIR and ATR-FTIR techniques have been used for the determination of different functional groups present in the sludge from common effluent treatment plant (CETP) before and after adsorption. Sludge is activated at 200oC for 1 hour and used as an adsorbent for the removal of Brilliant Green, Malachite Green and Crystal Violet dyes from aqueous solution. FTIR spectra of the sludge (CETP) before and after adsorption have been compared in the wave number range 400-4000 cm-1. FTIR studies show the presence of major functional groups OH, NH, COOH, C=C which may act as a possible active site for adsorption and structural changes which occur after activation and adsorption of dyes. Our studies show that the sludge contains monosaccharides, peptides, proteins and fats. Keyword: FTIR, ATR-FTIR, adsorbent, sludge, Dyes. INTRODUCTION The degradation of the environment due to the discharge of polluting wastewater from industrial sources poses a real problem in several countries. Textile industries discharge large volume of wastewater into the environment. The wastewater contains a variety of chemicals from various stages of process operations, including bleaching and dyeing. Most of the dyes present in wastewater are toxic and cause allergic dermatitis, skin irritation, cancer and mutation in humans [1-3]. Brilliant green, malachite green and crystal violet dyes are soluble in water and mainly used in textile industries for dying cotton, wool, silk, jute, leather, paper, nylon, in manufacture of printing inks and also the biological stain, a dermatological agent in veterinary medicine [4-5]. Therefore, removal of these dyes from water and wastewater is of great importance. So many efficient methods like physical, chemical and biological are employed for decolorization of textile wastewater. Biodegradation of reactive dyes have been reported using biological methods by treatment with algae, fungi and bacteria. Sewage sludge is a slurry or semi solid waste generated as by-product in sewage treatment. Further treatments of sewage sludge are performed before disposal or application to land [6-7]. In this paper, we have activated sewage sludge into suitable adsorbent and used it for the removal of Brilliant Green, Malachite Green and Crystal Violet dyes from aqueous solution. FTIR Transmittance and Attenuated total reflectance (ATR-FTIR) techniques have been employed to determine the functional groups present in sewage sludge samples before and after adsorption of dyes from aqueous solution [8-15].