Artificial neural network modeling the removal of basic blue 9 by modified tea waste with magnetically Fe3O4 nanoparticles and surfactant

Enhancing the adsorption capacity of natural tea waste towards Basic Blue 9 (BB9) was investigated by successive modification with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs) and anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate.The X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer analyses confirmed the introduction of super-paramagnetic Fe 3 O 4 -NPs with uniform shapes and sizes of 10 ± 2 nm, -SO 3 -and Fe-O functional groups.The main mechanisms involved in adsorption and transport of BB9 were ion exchange through -SO 3 -group of surfactant molecules and film diffusion respectively.An optimized artificial neural network model with three layers and 14 neurons in hidden layer could successfully predict BB9 adsorption (R 2 = 0.9959).Also, the relative importance of each studied variable ((BB9 initial concentration, initial pH of solution, contact time, temperature and adsorbent dosage) on the adsorption process was evaluated.