Abstract
An iron-impeded geopolymer (Fe/GP) was synthesized from natural ferruginous kaolinite and optical waste for enhanced decontamination of Congo red (CR) dye. The adsorption properties of Fe/GP were assessed using an advanced monolayer equilibrium model of one energy (R 2 > 0.99). Fe/GP possessed an active site density of 391.3 mg/g, which induced an adsorption capacity of 634 mg/g at the saturation state. The number of adsorbed CR molecules per site (n = 1.56–1.62) reflected the possible uptake of two molecules per site via a multimolecular mechanism. The adsorption energy (5.12–5.7 kJ/mol) reflected the physical adsorption of the CR molecules via hydrogen bonding and/or van der Waals forces. As a catalyst, notable activity toward photo-Fenton oxidation was achieved even at high CR concentrations. Complete oxidation was observed after 30 (CR concentration: 10 mg/L), 50 (20 mg/L), 80 (30 mg/L), 120 (40 mg/L), and 140 min (50 mg/L). High oxidation efficiency was achieved using 0.1 g/L Fe/GP, 0.1 mL of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and a visible light source. Increasing the Fe/GP dosage to 0.3 g/L resulted in complete oxidation of CR (100 mg/L) after 220 min. Therefore, synthetic Fe/GP can be used as a low-cost and superior catalyst and adsorbent for the removal of CR-based contaminants via adsorption or advanced oxidation processes.