Basic dyes, Rhodamine 6G(R6G), Rhodamine B(RB), and Methylene Blue(MB), dissolved in water were used to investigate single-component adsorption affinity to the pearl layer fractionated according to the size. Unfractionated pearl layers were also used as adsorbents for the R6G and RB. The Langmuir and the Redlich-Peterson(RP) models were used to fit the adsorption data, and the goodness of fit was examined by using determination coefficient(R2) and standard deviation(SSE). The 3-parameter RP model was found to be better in describing the dye adsorption data than the 2-parameter Langmuir model, as can be expected from the number of parameters involved in the model. The adsorption affinity to the fractionated pearl layer was higher than that to the unfractionated layer. The affinity order to the fractionated Conchiolin layer was found to be R6G > MB > RB. Furthermore, the dye adsorption capacity of the various types of pearl layer was found to be in the order, the fractionated pearl > powdered pearl > unfractionated pearl, exhibiting different adsorption isotherms according to the types of layer used in the study.

• 신춘환(동서대학교 환경공학과) | Choon-Hwan Shin Corresponding Author
• 송동익(경북대학교 화학공학과) | Dong-Ik Song