Modified acrylamide-based semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogel composites were prepared for Congo red (CR) and Bismarck brown Y (BBY) dyes adsorption from aqueous solutions. Adsorption for both dyes was studied in batch mode and results show adsorption highly dependent on concentration, solution pH, and contact time. The prepared hydrogels exhibited a high adsorption capability. Also, the kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption of dyes followed the pseudosecond-order model and was found to match well with the Langmuir isotherm model. Thermodynamic studies showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. The prepared hydrogel composites also exhibit good regeneration efficiency for the four successive adsorption-desorption cycles. Based on these analyses, it can be concluded that these adsorbents be acted as an efficient option for the removal of contaminant dyes from aqueous solutions.

Hydrogels of acrylamide (AM), acrylamide\ 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulphonic acid (AMS), and acrylamide\ 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulphonic acid\graphene oxide (AMSGO) were prepared as adsorbents to remove carcinogenic dyes Congo red (CR) and Bismarck brown Y (BBY) from aqueous solutions. Hydrogels were characterized using FSEM and XRD analyses. For both dyes, the synthesized hydrogels demonstrated high adsorption capability at near-neutral pH. Experimental adsorption data were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. It was found that the Langmuir model was more suitable for the experimental data. Kinetic studies found that the pseudo-second-order model demonstrated the best fitting to the experimental data. In addition, thermodynamic studies suggest that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. The prepared hydrogels were regenerated and reused in four consecutive cycles and it could be applied to remove anionic dyes from aqueous solutions as an effective adsorbent.

Co/Mg1−XCe3+XO (x = 0, 0.03, 0.07, 0.15; 1 wt% cobalt each) catalysts for the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction were prepared using the co-precipitation method with K2CO3 as precipitant. Characterization of the catalysts was achieved by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The role of several reactant and catalyst concentrations, and reaction temperatures (700–900 °C) on the catalytic performance of the DRM reaction was measured in a tubular fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure at various CH4/CO2 concentration ratios (1:1 to 2:1). Using X-ray diffraction, a surface area of 19.2 m2.g−1 was exhibited by the Co/Mg0.85Ce3+0.15O catalyst and MgO phase (average crystallite size of 61.4 nm) was detected on the surface of the catalyst. H2 temperature programmed reaction revealed a reduction of CoO particles to metallic Co0 phase. The catalytic stability of the Co/Mg0.85Ce3+0.15O catalyst was achieved for 200 h on-stream at 900 °C for the 1:1 CH4:CO2 ratio with an H2/CO ratio of 1.0 and a CH4, CO2 conversions of 75% and 86%, respectively. In the present study, the conversion of CH4 was improved (75%–84%) when conducting the experiment at a lower flow of oxygen (1.25%). Finally, the deposition of carbon on the spent catalysts was analyzed using TEM and Temperature programmed oxidation-mass spectroscopy (TPO-MS) following 200 h under an oxygen stream. Better anti-coking activity of the reduced catalyst was observed by both, TEM, and TPO-MS analysis. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA   License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).