Phosphate-Based Glass: A Promising Material for the Removal of Cationic Dye

This research pioneers the innovative use of glass as a standalone adsorbent for the extraction of crystal violet (CV) dye from aqueous solutions, which is a novel method that has not been previously explored. A unique phosphate-based glass was synthesized using the conventional melt quenching process. The resulting glass was comprehensively characterized using a wide array of analytical techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, Raman spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). This study marks the first successful application of phosphate-based glass as an adsorbent for CV dye removal, revealing a significant adsorption capacity. The adsorption process was influenced by various physicochemical parameters, which were systematically investigated. Both the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order models provided excellent fits to the isothermal and kinetic adsorption data, respectively. Detailed kinetic studies showed that the adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and conformed to the Freundlich isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity observed was 266.745 mg/g. Thermodynamic assessments indicated that the CV dye adsorption process was both spontaneous and exothermic. These findings highlight the exceptional potential of the synthesized phosphate-based glass for effective wastewater treatment applications involving CV dye. This novel approach opens up new avenues for the use of glass materials in environmental remediation and could significantly impact future wastewater treatment technologies.