Validation of a Monte Carlo HPGe detector model against irradiated foil gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements

In order to separate and pre-concentrate uranium from aqueous phase, a novel silica-based adsorbent was prepared by impregnating nalidixic acid (HNA) into a macroreticular silica/polymer composite support (SiO₂-P) with a mean diameter of 60 μm. Adsorption behavior of uranium from aqueous solution onto the adsorbent was studied. Experimental results indicated that HNA/SiO₂-P showed strong adsorption for uranium in a wide range of pH from 3.5 to 10.0, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 35.4 mg g⁻¹. In addition, HNA/SiO₂-P exhibited good selectivity for U(VI) and showed weak or bare adsorption affinity to foreign ions. Kinetic and isotherm of uranium adsorption were in accordance with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm adsorption model, respectively. Moreover, U(VI) sorption was found to be an endothermic reaction and spontaneous under experimental state. The synthesized adsorbent showed an admirable stability at lower pH values in aqueous solution.

     

Rapid removal of anionic organic dye from contaminated water using a poly(3-aminobenzoic acid/graphene oxide/cobalt ferrite) nanocomposite low-cost adsorbent via adsorption techniques

This research study aims to remove hazardous anionic azo dyes (Congo red (CR)) from aqueous solutions via a simple adsorption method using a poly(3-aminobenzoic acid/graphene oxide/cobalt ferrite) nanocomposite (P3ABA/GO/CoFe₂O₄) as a novel and low-cost nanoadsorbent, as synthesized by a simple and straightforward polymerization method. Typically, 3-aminobenzoic acid (3ABA), as monomer, was chemically polymerized with graphene oxide (GO) and cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) in an aqueous acidic medium containing an ammonium persulfate initiator. The adsorbent P3ABA/GO/CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposite was characterized using various techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive analysis by X-ray and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, vibrating sample magnetometer, and zeta potential techniques. These techniques confirmed the interaction between the poly(3-aminobenzoic acid) with GO and CoFe₂O₄ due to the presence of π-π interactions, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic forces. Herein, the removal efficiency of dye from aqueous solution by the adsorbent was studied according to several parameters such as the pH of the solution, dye concentration, dosage of adsorbent, contact time, and temperature. The adsorption of the dye was fitted using a Langmuir model (R² between 0.9980 and 0.9995) at different temperatures, and a kinetic model that was pseudo-second order (R² = between 0.9993 and 0.9929) at various initial concentrations of CR dye. In addition, the data revealed that the P3ABA/GO/CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposite exhibited a high adsorption capacity (153.92 mg/g) and removal for CR dye (98 %) at pH 5. Thermodynamic results showed the adsorption process was an endothermic and spontaneous reaction. It was found that, in terms of reusability, the P3ABA/GO/CoFe₂O₄ adsorbent can be used for up to six cycles. In this study, P3ABA/GO/CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposites were found to be low cost, and have an excellent removal capability and fast adsorption rate for CR from wastewater via a simple adsorption method. Moreover, this adsorbent nanocomposite could be simply separated from the resultant solution and recycled.     

Humic Acid Removal by Combining the Magnetic Property of Maghemite with the Adsorption Property of Nanosized Hydroxyapatite

Maghemite incorporated hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanocomposite was prepared by in situ precipitation of the calcium phosphate phase in an iron oxide colloidal suspension. The resultant nanocomposite was characterized by x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, transmission electron microscope, N₂ adsorption analysis, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The potential of HAP/γ-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite for HA adsorption from aqueous solution was evaluated by batch experiments and adsorption kinetic tests. HA adsorption amount on the adsorbent decreased with increasing solution pH and the presence of KNO₃ and alkali-earth metal ions resulted in enhanced HA adsorption. HA adsorption onto HAP/γ-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite could be well described by Freundlich and Sips models, while HA adsorption process on the adsorbent obeyed pseudo-second-order kinetics and the adsorption rates decreased with increasing initial HA concentration. This study showed that the HAP/γ-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite could be used as an efficient and magnetically separable adsorbent for the removal of HA from aqueous solution. Subsequent studies demonstrated that the HA-loaded HAP/γ-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite could be further applied for the highly efficient adsorption of methylene blue (MB) and separated from the medium by a simple magnetic process.     

An innovative SiO2-pyrazole nanocomposite for Zn(II) and Cr(III) ions effective adsorption and anti-sulfate-reducing bacteria from the produced oilfield water

Novel SiO₂-pyrazole (SiO₂-PYZ) nanocomposite was introduced for the elimination of Zn(II) and Cr(III) from oil reservoir water. Characterization analysis of prepared SiO₂-PYZ nanocomposite was investigated using SEM, FTIR, TGA, XRD, TEM, and BET. Studying the effects and optimization of the parameters such as retention time, pH, initial Cr(III) and Zn(II) ions concentrations, adsorbent dosage, and temperature were examined. For kinetics investigation, the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model matches the adsorption process effectively under different operating conditions. After applying two other isotherm models (Langmuir and Freundlich), the experimental data was adequately equipped with Langmuir, R² = 1. The thermodynamic results pointed that the adsorption of Zn(II) and Cr(III) ions was spontaneous, endothermic, and physisorption reaction. At pH 12, the influence of more than one ion, such as Ca(II) and Na(I), was checked, and the results revealed that this conjugate substance was highly selective to Cr(III). After washing with water in multiple cycles, the adsorbed material was regenerated with 0.1 M HCl and subsequently reused without deterioration in its case cavities. Interestingly, SiO₂-PYZ was highly effective against sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the petroleum field.     

Yolk–shell microspheres assembled from Preyssler‐type NaP5W30O11014− polyoxometalate and MIL‐101(Cr) metal–organic framework: A new inorganic–organic nanohybrid for fast and selective removal of cationic organic dyes from aqueous media

Novel inorganic–organic yolk–shell microspheres based on Preyssler‐type NaP₅W₃₀O₁₁₀^14? polyoxometalate and MIL‐101(Cr) metal–organic framework (P₅W₃₀/MIL‐101(Cr)) were synthesized by reaction of K_12.5Na_1.5[NaP₅W₃₀O₁₁₀], Cr(NO₃)₃·9H₂O and terephthalic acid under hydrothermal conditions at 200°C for 24 h. The as‐prepared yolk–shell microspheres were fully characterized using various techniques. All analyses confirmed the incorporation of the Preyssler‐type NaP₅W₃₀O₁₁₀^14? polyoxometalate into the three‐dimensional porous MIL‐101(Cr) metal–organic framework. The results revealed that P₅W₃₀/MIL‐101(Cr) demonstrated rapid adsorption of cationic methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) with ultrahigh efficiency and capacity, as well as achieving rapid and highly selective adsorption of MB from MB/MO (MO = methyl orange), MB/RhB and MB/RhB/MO mixtures. The P₅W₃₀/MIL‐101(Cr) adsorbent not only exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 212 mg g^?1, but also could quickly remove 100% of MB from a dye solution of 50 mg l^?1 within 8 min. The effects of some key parameters such as adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration and initial pH on dye adsorption were investigated in detail. The equilibrium adsorption data were better fitted by the Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption kinetics was well modelled using a pseudo‐second‐order model. Also, the inorganic–organic hybrid yolk–shell microspheres could be easily separated from the reaction system and reused up to four times without any change in structure or adsorption ability. The stability and robustness of the adsorbent were confirmed using various techniques.     

Removal of trace Cr(VI) from water using chitosan-iron nanowires in porous anodic alumina

Chitosan-iron nanowires in porous anodic alumina (PAA) have been successfully prepared under ambient conditions as an adsorbent. The adsorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and N₂-BET surface area. The results showed that PAA can disperse and protect Fe⁰ nanorods from oxidation. The adsorption characteristics of trace Cr(VI) onto adsorbent have been examined at different initial Cr(VI) concentrations with pH 5. Batch adsorption studies show that the removal percentage of adsorbent for the removal of trace Cr(VI) is strongly dependent on the initial Cr(VI) concentrations. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were used to analyze the experiment data. The adsorption of trace Cr(VI) by adsorbent is well modeled by the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) is calculated as 123.95 mg/g which is very closed to the experiment results. Intraparticle diffusion study shows that the intraparticle diffusion of adsorbent is not the sole rate-controlling step. The negative value of Gibbs free energy change, ΔG^o, indicated that the process of Cr(VI) onto adsorbent was spontaneous. This work has demonstrated that chitosan-iron nanowires in porous anodic alumina as an adsorbent has promising potential for heavy metal removal at trace level.     

Application of polyaniline/bacterial extracellular polysaccharide nanocomposite for removal and detoxification of Cr(VI)

Polyaniline/bacterial extracellular polysaccharide (Pn/EPS) nanocomposite was prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline using ammonium peroxydisulfate as oxidant. Transmission electron micrograph showed that the surface of the nanocomposite was rough, providing good possibility for adsorption of Cr(VI). Under optimized conditions, the nanocomposite removed 97.3 % (25 mg L^?1) of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo-first order rate expression better described the adsorption equilibrium of Pn/EPS nanocomposite. X-ray diffractogram peak for Cr₂O₃ (2θ = 24.5) in the nanocomposite confirmed the reduction of Cr(VI). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy pattern of the nanocomposite confirmed the ionic interaction between Cr species and surface functional groups. The results of the study indicate that Pn/EPS nanocomposite could be used for the removal and detoxification of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution.     

Synthesis and characterization of CDs/Al2O3 nanofibers nanocomposite for Pb2+ ions adsorption and reuse for latent fingerprint detection

This study reports a new approach of preparation of carbon dots coated on aluminum oxide nanofibers (CDs/Al₂O₃NFs) nanocomposite and reusing the spent adsorbent of lead (Pb²⁺) ions loaded adsorbent (Pb²⁺-CDs/Al₂O₃NFs) nanocomposite for latent fingerprint detection (LFP) after removing Pb²⁺ ions from aqueous solution. CDs/Al₂O₃NFs nanocomposite was prepared by using CDs and Al₂O₃NFs with adsorption processes. The prepared nanocomposite was then characterized by using UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–visible), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Fluorescence, X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Zeta potential, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The average size of the CDs was 51.18 nm. The synthesized CDs/Al₂O₃NFs nanocomposite has proven to be a good adsorbent for Pb²⁺ ions removal from water with optimum pH 6, dosage 0. 2 g/L. The results were best described by the Freundlich Isotherm model. The adsorption capacity of CDs/Al₂O₃NFs nanocomposite showed the best removal of Pb²⁺ ions with q_m = (177. 83 mg/g), when compared to the previous reports. This adsorption followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model. ΔG and ΔH values indicated spontaneity and the endothermic nature of the adsorption process. CDs/Al₂O₃NFs nanocomposite therefore showed potential as an effective adsorbent. The data were observed from adsorption–desorption after 6 cycles which showed good adsorption stability and re- usability of CDs/Al₂O₃NFs nanocomposite. Furthermore, the spent adsorbent of Pb²⁺-CDs/Al₂O₃NFs nanocomposite has proven to be sensitive and selective for LFP detection on various porous substrates. Hence Pb²⁺-CDs/Al₂O₃NFs nanocomposite can be reused as a good fingerprint labelling agent in LFP detection so as to avoid secondary environmental pollution by disposal of the spent adsorbent.     

Adsorption of Cr(VI) using activated neem leaves: kinetic studies

In the present study, adsorbent is prepared from neem leaves and used for Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solutions. Neem leaves are activated by giving heat treatment and with the use of concentrated hydrochloric acid (36.5 wt%). The activated neem leaves are further treated with 100 mmol of copper solution. Batch adsorption studies demonstrate that the adsorbent prepared from neem leaves has a significant capacity for adsorption of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The parameters investigated in this study include pH, contact time, initial Cr(VI) concentration and adsorbent dosage. The adsorption of Cr(VI) is found to be maximum (99%) at low values of pH in the range of 1-3. A small amount of the neem leaves adsorbent (10 g/l) could remove as much as 99% of Cr(VI) from a solution of initial concentration 50 mg/l. The adsorption process of Cr(VI) is tested with Langmuir isotherm model. Application of the Langmuir isotherm to the system yielded maximum adsorption capacity of 62.97 mg/g. The dimensionless equilibrium parameter, R _L, signifies a favorable adsorption of Cr(VI) on neem leaves adsorbent and is found to be between 0.0155 and 0.888 (0<R _L<1). The adsorption process follows second order kinetics and the corresponding rate constant is found to be 0.00137 g/(mg) (min).     

磁性壳聚糖/Fe3O4/氧化石墨烯吸附剂的制备及其多染料吸附性能

为了提高壳聚糖的多染料吸附性能并使其便于固液分离,采用共沉淀法制备了壳聚糖、磁铁矿纳米颗粒、氧化石墨烯复合磁性吸附剂(CS/Fe₃O₄/GO)。系统的结构表征显示,CS包覆的Fe₃O₄磁性纳米颗粒均匀地分布在GO的表面。CS/Fe₃O₄/GO具有高达42.5 emu·g-1的室温铁磁性,因此可在外加磁场中实现高效固液分离。研究表明,CS/Fe₃O₄/GO对亚甲基蓝(MB)、甲基橙(MO)和刚果红(CR)等多种染料具有良好的吸附性能,溶液的pH、初始浓度和吸附时间对其多染料吸附性能具有显著影响。在最佳条件下,CS/Fe₃O₄/GO对MB、MO和CR的吸附量分别达到210.6、258.6和308.9 mg·g-1。CS/Fe₃O₄/GO具有优异的循环利用性能,经5次循环后仍能保留90%以上的原始吸附量。采用吸附等温线和吸附动力学对...     

磁性壳聚糖/Fe3O4/氧化石墨烯吸附剂的制备及其多染料吸附性能

为了提高壳聚糖的多染料吸附性能并使其便于固液分离,采用共沉淀法制备了壳聚糖、磁铁矿纳米颗粒、氧化石墨烯复合磁性吸附剂(CS/Fe₃O₄/GO)。系统的结构表征显示,CS包覆的Fe₃O₄磁性纳米颗粒均匀地分布在GO的表面。CS/Fe₃O₄/GO具有高达42.5 emu·g^-1的室温铁磁性,因此可在外加磁场中实现高效固液分离。研究表明,CS/Fe₃O₄/GO对亚甲基蓝(MB)、甲基橙(MO)和刚果红(CR)等多种染料具有良好的吸附性能,溶液的pH、初始浓度和吸附时间对其多染料吸附性能具有显著影响。在最佳条件下,CS/Fe₃O₄/GO对MB、MO和CR的吸附量分别达到210.6、258.6和308.9 mg·g^-1。CS/Fe₃O₄/GO具有优异的循环利用性能,经5次循环后仍能保留90%以上的原始吸附量。采用吸附等温线和吸附动力学对CS/Fe₃O₄/GO的多染料吸附性能进行了拟合分析,并详细讨论了其吸附机理。     

Radiation-induced catalytic reduction of chromium(VI) in aqueous solution containing TiO2, Al2O3 or SiO2 fine particles

Reduction of chromium (VI), Cr(VI) in aqueous neutral or basic solution was promoted by γ-ray irradiation in the presence of oxide particles such as TiO₂, Al₂O₃ or SiO₂. The oxide particles behaved as a catalyst, and the efficiency of the Cr(VI) reduction increased with an increase of the irradiation dose irrespective of the initial Cr(VI) concentration. The insoluble Cr(III) oxide formed through the Cr(VI) reduction also acted as the catalyst.     

Facial Synthesis of Adsorbent from Hemicelluloses for Cr(VI) Adsorption

It is challenging work to develop a low-cost, efficient, and environmentally friendly Cr(VI) adsorbent for waste water treatment. In this paper, we used hemicelluloses from chemical fiber factory waste as the raw material, and prepared two kinds of carbon materials by the green hydrothermal method as adsorbent for Cr(VI). The results showed that hemicelluloses hydrothermally treated with citric acid (HTC) presented spherical shapes, and hemicelluloses hydrothermally treated with ammonia solution (HTC-NH₂) provided spongy structures. The adsorption capacity of the samples can be obtained by the Langmuir model, and the adsorption kinetics could be described by the pseudo-second-order model at pH 1.0. The maximum adsorption capacity of HTC-NH₂ in the Langmuir model is 74.60 mg/g, much higher than that of HTC (61.25 mg/g). The green hydrothermal treatment of biomass with ammonia solution will provide a simple and feasible way to prepare adsorbent for Cr(VI) in waste water treatment.     

Review on recent advances of carbon based adsorbent for methylene blue removal from waste water

The growth in textile and printing industries proven detrimental to the aquatic environment as the industrial waste containing dye seeped into the ecosystem. A high concentration of dye in water possess negative impacts on water ecosystem and harmful to human health. Removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from industrial waste via adsorption pathway has been widely investigated that promised high efficiency of MB removal. This review will summarize researches published from 2008 to 2019 on the removal of MB using carbon adsorbent with focus will be given on the synthesis and modification of carbon-based materials, and the structural properties influencing the performance of MB adsorption. Summary on the type of material used for the synthesis of carbon materials (activated carbon and biochar) will be included from utilization of the naturally occurring carbon sources such as polymers, biomasses and biowastes, and also sucrose and hydrocarbon gases. Modification of carbon materials such as chemical activation and physical activation; surface grafting to form functionalized surfaces; deposition with metal and magnetic nanoparticles via impregnation; and manufacturing of carbon composites will be discussed on the effects to promote MB adsorption and desorption. Another type of carbon adsorbents such as porous carbon; graphitic carbons including graphite, graphene, graphene oxide, and carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄); and finally nanocarbon in the form of nanotube, nanorod and nanofiber; will be included in the review with details on the synthesis method and the correlation between structural properties and adsorption activity. The regeneration process to increase the life cycle of carbon adsorbent will also be discussed based on two regeneration pathway i.e. a thermal degradation and desorption on MB. Finally the thermodynamics, kinetics, and the adsorption models of MB on carbon adsorbent will be discussed in this review.     

Porous multicomponent chitosan/poly(ε-caprolactone)-block poly (ethylene glycol)/SiO2 aerogel@polydopamine membrane for Congo red adsorption

A composite adsorbent, chitosan//poly (ε-caprolactone)-block poly (ethylene glycol)/SiO₂ aerogel@polydopamine (CS/PCL-b-PEG/SA@PDA) membrane was prepared for the adsorption of organic dyes. The matrix polymer materials of this novel adsorbent were eco-friendly. SiO₂ aerogel with nanoporous network construction was fixed in the multicomponent polymer fibers through simultaneous electrospinning-electrospray technology followed by modification of polydopamine (PDA). The composite adsorbent had a maximum adsorption capacity of 598.8 mg/g for Congo red (CR) and possessed good reusability performance. This adsorbent showed excellent performance for the selective adsorption of relatively large molecule CR dyes even under high concentration of small molecule methyl orange (MO) dyes or 1 M of salt solution. The adsorption mechanism indicated that the –NH₂ and –OH groups in adsorbent could generate the stronger electrostatic attraction with the –SO₃^- groups in CR. Meanwhile, the sufficient adsorption spaces of the adsorbent were constructed by the porous network structure of SiO₂ aerogel, the accumulation of PDA particles and the porous structure of the multicomponent composite membrane. The work provided a proactive study in designing an adsorbent for the selective adsorption of organic dyes.     

Removal of Chromium Ions by Fe3O4‐containing Polypyrrole Matrix and Environmental Applications

In this work, the PPy/Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ composite was synthesized and characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and magnetic measurements (using a vibrating sample magnetometer). The adsorption performance of PPy/Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ composite for Cr(VI) ions was evaluated by UV irradiation. The effects of pH, adsorbent dose, contact time, and the initial concentration on the adsorption performance of Cr(VI) onto PPy/Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ were investigated. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) upon doped PPy/Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ is 85.30 mg/g at room temperature. The total adsorption process likely follows the Langmuir model and pseudo‐second‐order kinetics. Our study suggests that the PPy/Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ composite can be efficiently used for the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions.     

Surface modification of date palm activated carbonaceous materials for heavy metal removal and CO2 adsorption

In this study, high surface area activated carbon (AC) was prepared from a local palm tree (Phoenix Dactylifera) using a variety of metal carbonates activators and finally achieved an excellent S_BET of 2700 m²/g when Cs₂CO₃ was used as an activating agent at a temperature of 600 °C. Surface modification of AC was carried out using various nitrogen transporting agents, resulting in N-doped ACs with nitrogen content varying from 4.0 to 11.4 %, depending on the functionalizing agents and activators used. The bimodal (presence of micro- as well as meso-porosity) ACs with such excellent surface properties were studied for their CO₂ uptake capacity at two different temperatures (0 and 25 °C) by isotherms recorded at pressure 1 bar and showed a remarkable uptake ability of 3.52 mmol/g (at 25 °C) and 5.6 mmol/g (at 0 °C), respectively. Also, batch experiments with variable pH, contact time, adsorbate concentrations, adsorbent dose, and temperatures were evaluated to understand the mechanism of sorption phenomena of Cr(VI) and Pb(II) achieving > 99.9 % removal capacity by the prepared ACs. Depending on the heavy metal ions being investigated, it was revealed that the pH of the solution and the amount of adsorbent had a direct impact on the total adsorption ability. Nitrogen atoms doped into the carbon frameworks were found to enhance the adsorption in the case of Pb(II) while the removal of Cr(VI) appeared to be unaffected. Maximum adsorption for Cr(VI) was observed at pH 2 and was determined to follow Freundlich isotherm while that of Pb(II) was observed at pH 7 and follows Langmuir isotherm. Best adsorption was found at an adsorbate concentration of 10 ppm and an adsorbent dose of 10 g/L. Kinetic modeling parameters showed the applicability of pseudo-second-order model perfectly.     

Facile synthesis of mesoporous magnesium oxide–graphene oxide composite for efficient and highly selective adsorption of hazardous anionic dyes

Mesoporous magnesium oxide–graphene oxide composite (MGC) has been synthesized using a facile post-immobilization method by mixing pre-synthesized magnesium oxide (MgO) with graphene oxide (GO). MgO used for fabrication of the composite has been synthesized using an environment-friendly method involving gelatin as a template. XRD, Raman and EDX analyses have confirmed the presence of MgO and GO in the composite. FTIR and SEM analyses of synthesized MGC have further elucidated the surface functionalities and morphology, respectively. Using N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherm, BET surface area of MGC has been calculated to be 55.9 m² g^?1 and BJH analysis confirmed the mesoporous nature of MGC. The application of synthesized MGC as a selective adsorbent for various toxic anionic dyes has been explored. Batch adsorption studies have been carried out to investigate the influence of different adsorption parameters on the adsorption of two anionic dyes: indigo carmine (IC) and orange G (OG). The maximum adsorption capacities exhibited by MGC for IC and OG are 252.4 and 24.5 mg g^?1, respectively. Plausible mechanism of dye adsorption has been explained in detail using FTIR analysis. In a mixture of cationic and anionic dyes, MGC selectively adsorbs anionic dyes with high separation factors, while in binary mixtures of anionic dyes, both dyes are adsorbed efficiently. Thus, MGC has been shown to be a potential adsorbent for the selective removal of anionic dyes from wastewater.

     

Spherical NiWO4-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for effective visible light driven photocatalytic activity for the decolourisation of organic pollutants

A hybrid nanocomposite of nickel tungstate – reduced graphene oxide (NiWO₄-RGO) was prepared using a surfactant free hydrothermal approach. Resulting hybrid nanocomposite powder was grounded for forty minutes to ensure homogeneity and avoid agglomerations of particles. Resulting nanocomposite was characterised by XRD, FTIR, FESEM and EDX analysis. Photocatalytic activities of the characterised catalyst were examined by the decolourisation of Methylene blue (MB) and ortho-nitrophenol (ONP) under visible light irradiation were conducted at room temperature. The results confirmed that 15 wt% NiWO₄-RGO composite was degraded almost completely MB (95%) and ONP (82%) within 150 and 240 min respectively under visible light sources. The catalyst was reused and stable for successive six runs with loss of 10% of degradation rate.     

Insight into the performance of novel kaolinite-cellulose/cobalt oxide nanocomposite as green adsorbent for liquid phase abatement of heavy metal ions: Modelling and mechanism

A cost-efficient kaolinite-cellulose/cobalt oxide green nanocomposite (Kao-Cel/Co₃O₄ NC) was successfully synthesized, and utilized as a promising material for removing Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ from aqueous solution. The fabricated nanocomposite has been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. The batch methodology was exploited for optimization of process parameters and the optimized conditions were found to be adsorbent dosage (2.0 g/L), extraction time (50 min), initial concentration (60 mg/L), and initial solution pH (6). Kao-Cel/Co₃O₄ NC displayed excellent adsorption properties and achieved maximum saturation capacity (Q_m) of 293.68 mg Pb²⁺/g and 267.85 mg Cd²⁺/g, with an equilibration time of 50 min at 323 K. The Langmuir model best expressed the isotherm data recommending the adsorption onto energetically homogeneous NC surface, while the compatibility of kinetics data with pseudo-second-order model revealed the dependency of adsorption rate on adsorption capacity, and probable involvement of chemisorption in the rate-controlling step. Electrostatic interaction and ion exchange mechanism were responsible for the uptake of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ by Kao-Cel/Co₃O₄ NC as demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and pH studies. Thermodynamic parameters confirmed the physical, spontaneous, and endothermic sequestration processes. Real water investigation specified that the present adsorbent could be effectively used for liquid phase decontamination of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺. The nanocomposite exhibited high reusability, which could be utilized efficiently for five runs with sustainable results. In summary, this study portrayed the present nanocomposite as an emerging material for the adsorption of heavy metal ions particularly Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺.