A Study on the removal of chromium (VI) from aqueous solutions by Starch-Montmorillonite/polyaniline nanocomposite

Starch-Montmorillonite/polyaniline nanocomposite as a biocompatible and cheap adsorbent was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization and was used for removal of Cr (VI) from aqueous solutions.The structure and morphology of as prepared nanocomposite were characterized utilizing Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).To find out the crystalline structure and the distance between the montmorillonite layers, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was conducted.Different parameters affecting the adsorption efficiency including pH, the initial concentration of Cr (VI) ions, contact time and adsorbent dosage were investigatedand optimized. The result of this study showed that like many adsorption processes, the mechanism of adsorption is influenced by pH. At solution pH=2 while the concentration of Cr is 10 mg/L after 15 min of exposure the removal efficiency is 89.22%.