ACS Applied Polymer Materials, vol.5, no.10, pp.8073-8081, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
Tartrazine is a synthetic organic dye used in the food industry that should be monitored and controlled due to its toxicity. In this regard, the current study aimed to utilize a promising adsorbent, poly(N-cyclohexylacrylamide-co-divinylbenzene-co-N-vinylimidazole), poly(NCA-co-DVB-co-VIM), for the effective removal of tartrazine from commercial beverages. The surface properties were investigated by several analytical techniques [Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, scanning electron microscopy, elemental, zeta potential, and thermal analyses]. The adsorption of tartrazine was studied by examining various parameters, and the optimum conditions were determined as follows: pH of 2.0, an adsorbent dosage of 10.0 mg, a contact time of 180 min, and a temperature of 25 °C. The adsorption process was found to be in good agreement with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Based on the analysis of thermodynamic parameters, it was inferred that the adsorption process was both spontaneous and exothermic. The experimental adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was evaluated as 436.3 mg g-1. Desorption of tartrazine from the adsorbent was achieved with 2.0 M NaOH. The adsorbent demonstrated good stability and reusability even after eight adsorption-desorption cycles since no significant loss (only from 99.9-72%) in the adsorption/desorption efficiency was observed. The method was employed for the determination of tartrazine in different commercial beverages, and satisfactory recovery values (>99.6%) were obtained. The outcomes of the overall study specified that the proposed adsorbent has promising capabilities for the removal of tartrazine from beverages.