Preparation and characterization of ammonium-functionalized silica nanoparticle as a new adsorbent to remove methyl orange from aqueous solution

Quaternary ammonium polyethylenimine (PEI) was successfully modified to silica nanoparticle (QPEI/SiO2) as a new adsorbent to remove methyl orange from aqueous solution. The isotherm and kinetics of dye adsorption were studied, which showed that Langmuir isotherm fit the experimental results well. The maximum adsorption capacity of QPEI/SiO2 for methyl orange is 105.4 mg/g. The equilibrium time for methyl orange adsorption onto QPEI/SiO2 was as short as 10 min, indicating that the adsorbent has a strong affinity for methyl orange. The adsorption capacities of the methyl orange are slightly influenced by the pH in the range of 3.2–9.6. The QPEI/SiO2 adsorbent can be used in the wide pH range, which is different from other adsorbent. This may attribute to the quaternary ammonium carrying positive charges in acidic and basic solution.