Chitosan-modified palygorskite: Preparation, characterization and reactive dye removal

Chitosan-modified palygorskite (CTS-modified PA) was prepared by surface grafting of PA with chitosan, and the CTS-modified PA was used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of reactive dye. The effects of various experimental parameters such as initial pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time and initial dye concentration on adsorption were investigated. The adsorption behavior of CTS-modified PA showed that the adsorption kinetics and isotherms were in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order equation and the Langmuir equation, and the maximum adsorption capacity of CTS-modified PA calculated by the Langmuir model was 71.38 mg g− 1, which was much higher than that of the unmodified PA (6.3 mg g− 1).