Characterization of Gamma Irradiated Plasticized Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC)/Gum Arabic (GA) Polymer Blends as Absorbents for Dyestuffs

Polymer blends based on carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and gum arabic (GA) were prepared by solution casting method. Glycerol was added to the polymer blend solution as a plasticizer with different ratios (2·5, 5, 10 and 20%). Then, the plasticized blends were exposed to gamma irradiation at different doses (5, 10 and 20 kGy). The physical properties of the plasticized polymer blends were investigated in terms of gel fraction (%) and swelling percent (%). Thermal properties were investigated by TGA. Also, the structure of the plasticized polymer blends was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscope was investigated in order to examine the compatibility between two polymers in the blend and also between polymer blend and plasticizer. The prepared plasticized polymer blends were used as an adsorbent for different dyestuffs. The sorption of dyestuffs by the plasticized polymer blend was determined by a method based on spectroscopic analysis. The results showed that the plasticized polymer blend has a high affinity for basic, acid, reactive and direct dyes. The obtained results showed that using glycerol as plasticizer improved the swellability of polymer blend and also the dye uptake (%).