Synthesis and Characterization of Hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) for an Effective Removal of Organic Dyes: Kinetic and Equilibrium Studies

Abstract

In this study, hBN nanostructure was synthesized from boric acid to remove organic dyes from aqueous solution. The characteristic peaks of hBN are obtained using Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopies. However, the morphology and particle size of hBN are determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). During the studies, various key factors such as pH of the aqueous dye solution, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dose and contact time are investigated. Additionally, equilibrium isotherm and kinetic models are studied for the removal of anionic and cationic organic dye Metanyl Yellow (MY) and Victoria Blue B (VBB), respectively. Under optimal conditions, it was found that 42.6% Methanyl Yellow (MY) and 90% Victoria Blue B (VBB) were removed from aqueous solution using the hBN nanostructure. ​