Ultrasound-Assisted Adsorption Techniques for Dye Removal from Aqueous Solutions
Summary
Industrial discharge of synthetic dyes poses a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems and public health. Conventional adsorption processes often suffer from slow kinetics and limited mass transfer. The integration of ultrasound with adsorption exploits acoustic cavitation—formation, growth and collapse of microbubbles—to generate localized high temperatures, microjets and turbulence. These effects erode boundary layers around adsorbent particles, expose fresh active sites and accelerate dye uptake. A wide range of adsorbents has been explored under sonication, including carbon‐based materials, metal‐oxide nanocomposites and functionalised biopolymers. Key operational parameters such as ultrasonic frequency, power density, pH, temperature and contact time have been optimised using design‐of‐experiment tools. Isotherm and kinetic models (notably Langmuir, Freundlich and pseudo‐second-order) are routinely applied to characterise adsorption capacity and rate. Recent advances highlight reusable and regenerable adsorbents, green‐synthesised nanocomposites and scalable reactor designs, demonstrating the global significance of ultrasound‐assisted adsorption for sustainable wastewater treatment.
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Ultrasound-Assisted Adsorption Techniques for Dye Removal from Aqueous Solutions publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in ultrasound-assisted adsorption techniques for dye removal from aqueous solutions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Acoustic cavitation: Formation, growth and implosive collapse of bubbles in a liquid under ultrasound, generating localized high temperature and pressure.
Adsorption isotherm: Mathematical model describing equilibrium distribution of adsorbate between liquid phase and solid adsorbent at constant temperature.
Pseudo-second-order kinetics: Kinetic model assuming the rate-limiting step involves chemisorption with adsorption capacity proportional to the square of unoccupied sites.
Response surface methodology (RSM): Statistical technique for modelling and analysing the influence of multiple variables to optimise a response.
Mesoporous: Material containing pores with diameters between 2 and 50 nm, offering high surface area for adsorption.
References
- Back propagation artificial neural network and central composite design modeling of operational parameter impact for sunset yellow and azur (II) adsorption onto MWCNT and MWCNT-Pd-NPs: Isotherm and kinetic study. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems (2016).
- Polyvinyl Alcohol Assisted Iron–Zinc Nanocomposite for Enhanced Optimized Rapid Removal of Malachite Green Dye. Nanomaterials (2023).
- Sustainable Synthesis of Iron–Zinc Nanocomposites by Azadirachta indica Leaves Extract for RSM-Optimized Sono-Adsorptive Removal of Crystal Violet Dye. Materials (2023).
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