Polymers and polymer composites for adsorptive removal of dyes in water treatment

The discharge of wastewater containing dyes causes severe problems worldwide, which must be properly treated before entering the environment. Adsorption is believed to be one of the favourable techniques to remove dyes because of its environmental and economic sustainability. This chapter reviewed the recent development of polymers and polymer composites reported as adsorbents for treating dye-contaminated wastewater, including surface modification/functionalization of polymers, polyaniline and its composites, magnetic polymer composites, polymer/clay composites and polymer/by-products or waste composites. The adsorption performance of adsorbents was discussed in correlation with a number of factors, such as the properties of dyes, surface chemistry or structures of adsorbents, as well as operation conditions, e.g. initial dye concentration, solution pH, temperature, and the presence of other salts, etc. In addition, the regeneration and reusability of developed adsorbents were covered