Efficient Adsorptive Removal of Methylene Blue Using Acid- and Alkali-Modified Clinoptilolite–Alginate Beads: High-Capacity Monolayer Adsorbents for Wastewater Treatment and Potential Membrane Applications

Authors

  • Nur Fatin Atikah Abdul Mutalib Materials Technology Research Group (MaTReC), School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Minden, Penang, Malaysia
  • Dauren Kulbatyrova Non-profit JSC, Atyrau Oil and Gas University named after S. Utebayev, Atyrau, Kazakhstan
  • Assylbek Kanbetova Non-profit JSC, Atyrau Oil and Gas University named after S. Utebayev, Atyrau, Kazakhstan
  • Temirkhanova Gulden Yerlanovna Non-profit JSC, Atyrau Oil and Gas University named after S. Utebayev, Atyrau, Kazakhstan
  • Azat Seitkhan Laboratory of Engineering Profile, Satbayev University, 22 Satbayev Str., Almaty, Kazakhstan
  • Muhammad Bisyrul Hafi Othman Materials Technology Research Group (MaTReC), School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Minden, Penang, Malaysia
  • Norliyana Mohd Salleh Academic Research Management, Group Technology and Commercialisation, PETRONAS Research Sdn Bhd, 43000 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Siti Khadijah Hubadillah School of Technology Management and Logistics, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia
  • Mohd Riduan Jamalludin Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Kampus Alam UniMAP, Pauh Putra, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia
  • Mohd Ridhwan Adam School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11113/jamst.v29n3.328

Keywords:

Natural zeolite clinoptilolite, adsorption, methylene blue, isotherm, alginate beads

Abstract

Methylene blue (MB) is a hazardous pollutant with severe impacts on human health and marine ecosystems. To solve these issues, this work investigates the removal of MB from wastewater using sodium alginate beads embedded with natural zeolite clinoptilolite (NZC) modified with HCl and NaOH. To comprehend the changes in NZC physicochemical properties, it was modified with different concentrations of HCl and NaOH (0.5, 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 M) and extensively characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), and nitrogen adsorption analysis. Both HCl-NZC and NaOH-NZC beads achieved 100% MB removal efficiency, with maximum adsorption capacities of 45.80 mg/g and 45.09 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption process followed the Langmuir isotherm model with high correlation value (R²) of 0.9952 (HCl-NZC) and 0.9907 (NaOH-NZC), indicating monolayer adsorption on a homogeneous surface. This study serves as a preliminary investigation into the adsorption behavior of acid- and base-modified NZC encapsulated in alginate beads for MB removal. The findings demonstrate that the modified beads exhibit strong adsorption capacity and stability, suggesting their potential application as fillers or active components in future zeolite-based composite membrane systems for efficient dye removal.

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Published

2025-11-27

How to Cite

Abdul Mutalib, N. F. A., Kulbatyrova, D., Kanbetova, A., Yerlanovna, T. G., Seitkhan, A., Othman, M. B. H., … Adam, M. R. (2025). Efficient Adsorptive Removal of Methylene Blue Using Acid- and Alkali-Modified Clinoptilolite–Alginate Beads: High-Capacity Monolayer Adsorbents for Wastewater Treatment and Potential Membrane Applications. Journal of Applied Membrane Science & Technology, 29(3), 291–303. https://doi.org/10.11113/jamst.v29n3.328

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Vol. 29 No. 3: December 2025

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