Hen Feather: A Remarkable Adsorbent for Dye Removal - Green Chemistry for Dyes Removal from Wastewater - page 420

measuring flask, separately. The test solutions are stirred and left undis-
turbed for 24 hours in airtight measuring flasks. The solutions are then
filtered and pH of each solution is measured. The nature of adsorbents
is confirmed as acidic, as pH values of all three solutions are found to
decrease.

11.3.2.3 Scanning Electron Microscopic Analysis

To analyze the shape and nature of the surface of both the materials, scan-
ning electron microscopic (SEM) studies are carried out. The photographs
with different magnifications reveal the porosity of the Hen Feathers.
A careful study of these pictures clearly indicates that hen feathers are a
needle-shaped fibrous material and cannot be considered spherical. The
surface morphologies of the Hen Feathers were analyzed on the basis of
SEM photographs, and it is clear from the photographs that the feathers
have a shaft/stick-like shape. They possess smooth and compact surface
with a smooth stripe along the parallel section, and a branch knot on
the vertical section. In addition, some barbs/barbules can also be seen as
adhering to the surface of the feathers.

11.3.2.4 Infrared Spectrophotometric Analysis

The infrared spectrum of activated Hen Feathers exhibits two primary
bands of IR spectra of proteins which are obtained at 1600-1700 cm -1 for
the amide I and 1500-1560 cm -1 for amide II, which arise from specific
stretching and bending vibrations of the protein backbone. The presence of
protein constituents can be ascertained by the amide I and amide II bands
appearing at 1641 and 1531 cm -1 , respectively. The band at 2966-2877 cm -1
attributes to the stretching vibration of C-H in methylene, and at 1110 cm -1
corresponds to the CO stretching vibration of ether bond.

11.4 Preliminary Investigations

The foremost requirement of the developed dye removal process is to opti-
mize the working conditions by carrying out preliminary experiments
on various involved parameters. During the preliminary investigations,
parameters like pH of the solution, concentrations of the dye, amount of
adsorbent, temperature, contact time, etc., were altered and their effect on
the dye uptake were measured. Thus, for the dye-adsorbent system, com-
plete efficiency of the ongoing adsorption process depends upon the opti-
mum conditions, which are provided by the preliminary studies.