Removal of blue levafix dye from aqueous solution by clays

Dyes have become one of the main sources of severe water pollution as a result of the rapid development of the textile industries. it is reported that there are over than 100.000 commercially available dyes with a production of over 7x105 metric tons per year. in order to eliminate blue levafix dye from aqueous solution,batch adsorption studies were carried out using natural clay (bentonite of nador-morocco),and commercial clays (montmorillonite and kaolin). adsorption experiments were conducted under various conditions: initial dye concentration,amount of clay,contact time,solid-liquid ratio,and organic matter concentration. adsorption process fitted the first order kinetic. all isotherms were described by the freundlich equation with a good regression factor (>0.9). the freundlich parameters kf permit to classify different adsorbents in ascending order bentonite < montmorillonite < kaolin. the sorption of blue levafix dye on clays is favored with the presence of organic matter,in acid media and for solid liquid ratio 1 for bentonite and montmorillonite and 2 for kaolin.