Metachromasy as an indicator of photostabilization of methylene blue adsorbed to clays and minerals

The influence of methylene blue adsorption to different clays on its photodegradation was studied. Methylene blue in solution was decomposed by sunlight in a zero-order process. Adsorption to some clay minerals (sepiolite and vermiculite) and a zeolite (clinoptilolite) accelerated the degradation process, and converted it to a first-order reaction. On the other hand, adsorption to other clay minerals (palygorskite and montmorillonite) stabilized the dye and prevented its degradation. Interestingly, in the clay–dye complexes that exhibited stability, clear metachromasy of the adsorbed methylene blue occurred, whereas the effect was not observed in the clay–dye complexes that underwent photodegradation.