Facile synthesis of Fe3O4/MoS2 nanohybrid for solid phase extraction of Ag(I) and Pb(II): kinetic,isotherm and thermodynamic studies

Recently, MoS₂ with abundant electron density in its structure attracted more attention as an adsorbent for environmental remediation. However, hard manipulation of target solution owing to high dispersibility in aqueous media restricts its application as adsorbent. Preparation of Fe₃O₄/MoS₂ nanohybrid can solve this problem. Also, this nanohybrid improves adsorption capacities of target ions. In this work, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, MoS₂ nanosheets and hybrid of these two were synthesised and then characterised by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectra, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area and vibrating sample magnetometer. Subsequently, adsorption of Ag(I) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution by these three adsorbents was examined in detail and compared with each other while the adsorption conditions including the pH value, contact time, dosage of sorbent, elution conditions and interfering ions have been optimised. According to obtained results, prepared nanohybrid showed enhanced adsorption capacities for both ions relative to naked Fe₃O₄ and MoS₂. The limits of detection for Ag(I) and Pb(II) were calculated as 0.49 µg L^?1 and 2.7 µg L^?1, respectively, and the relative standard deviation percentages (n = 5) for Ag(I) and Pb(II) were 2.8%, and 3.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the preconcentration factors were 300 and 75 for Ag(I) and Pb(II) ions, respectively. Moreover, kinetic studies showed that pseudo-second-order model can better describe target analytes adsorption properties by every three adsorbents. Regeneration of the adsorbents was performed with HCl/thiourea mixture.     

具有染料选择吸附性的衍生于沸石咪唑酯骨架-67的NiCo-层状双氢氧化物设计与合成

以沸石咪唑类金属有机骨架(ZIF-67)为模板合成了一种新型的中空吸附剂NiCo-LDH@ZIF-67,该吸附剂对甲基橙具有良好的选择吸附性以及可循环性。 通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线粉末衍射仪(XRD)、红外光谱、电子能谱和氮气吸附-脱附等手段对样品进行了表征。 研究了溶液的pH值、甲基橙的初始浓度以及染料与吸附剂作用时间对NiCo-LDH@ZIF-67吸附性能的影响。 结果表明,该吸附剂对甲基橙的吸附动力学符合准二级动力学模型,且吸附等温线符合朗缪尔方程。 当pH值等于4, 吸附时间15 min,吸附剂用量为2400 mg/L时,该吸附剂对甲基橙的最大吸附量可达1766 mg/g,高于之前文献报道的类似吸附剂。 此外,NiCo-LDH@ZIF-67能从甲基橙和亚甲基蓝的混合溶液中选择性吸附甲基橙。     

Synthesis of calcium alginate nanoparticles for removal of lead ions from aqueous solutions

Calcium alginate nanoparticles (CANPs) were synthesized to remove lead ion [Pb(??)] as pollutant of environment from aqueous solutions. The produced CANPs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), particle size analysis (PSA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Various factors, which affected adsorption efficiency of lead ions by CANPs, such as pH (pH from 1 to 8), initial ions concentration (in the range of 25 to 125 mg L^–1), contact time (varying from 5 to 120 min), and adsorbent dose (50 to 500 mg L^–1), were investigated for determination of optimum experimental conditions. The result of tests showed that the investigated factors had significant effects on adsorption of Pb(??) ions and the maximum adsorption percentage of lead at pH = 6~7, 25 mg L^–1 initial ions concentration, contact time of more than 140 min. and for adsorbent dose at 500 mg L^–1. Also these results demonstrated the effective adsorption of Pb²⁺ ions by synthesized CANPs that occurred due to a high surface area of CANPs and the presence of anionic carboxylate functional groups and allowed effective absorbing and removing Pb(??) ions from aqueous solutions. Thus, these nanoparticles were able to remove over 99% of lead ions from solution.     

Water-soluble Fe3O4 nanoparticles with high solubility for removal of heavy-metal ions from waste water

In this contribution, we synthesized water-soluble Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (NPs) with sufficiently high solubility (28 mg mL(-1)) and stability (at least one month) through a hydrothermal approach, and found that they exhibited excellent removal ability for heavy-metal ions from waste water. For the first time, the water-soluble Fe(3)O(4) NPs were used as adsorbents for heavy-metals removal from wastewater. It is noteworthy that the adsorption ability of the water-soluble Fe(3)O(4) NPs for Pb(2+) and Cr(6+) is stronger than water-insoluble Fe(3)O(4) NPs. Furthermore, the water-soluble Fe(3)O(4) NPs exhibited relatively high saturation magnetization (83.4 emu g(-1)), which allowed their highly-efficient magnetic separation from wastewater. The most important thing is that the water-soluble magnetite as an adsorbent can directly dissolve in water without the help of mechanical stirring or any extraneous forces, which may solve a key problem for the practical application of magnetic powders in the field of sewage purification. Moreover, the water-soluble Fe(3)O(4) NPs show a highly-efficient adsorption capacity for 10 ppm of Pb(2+) ions solution which can reach 90% within 2 minutes.     

Synthesis of novel magnetic sulfur-doped Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanoparticles for efficient removal of Pb(II)

In this work, we report the synthesis of magnetic sulfur-doped Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄:S NPs) with a novel simple strategy, which includes low temperature multicomponent mixing and high temperature sintering. The prepared Fe₃O₄:S NPs exhibit a much better adsorption performance towards Pb(II) than bare Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. FTIR, XPS, and XRD analyses suggested that the removal mechanisms of Pb(II) by Fe₃O₄:S NPs were associated with the process of precipitation (formation of PbS), hydrolysis, and surface adsorption. The kinetic studies showed that the adsorption data were described well by a pseudo second-order kinetic model, and the adsorption isotherms could be presented by Freundlich isotherm model. Moreover, the adsorption was not significantly affected by the coexisting ions, and the adsorbent could be easily separated from water by an external magnetic field after Pb(II) adsorption. Thus, Fe₃O₄:S NPs are supposed to be a good adsorbents for Pb(II) ions in environmental remediation.     

Efficient Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Medium Using Chemically Modified Silica Monolith

The adsorptive removal of lead (II) from aqueous medium was carried out by chemically modified silica monolith particles. Porous silica monolith particles were prepared by the sol-gel method and their surface modification was carried out using trimethoxy silyl propyl urea (TSPU) to prepare inorganic–organic hybrid adsorbent. The resultant adsorbent was evaluated for the removal of lead (Pb) from aqueous medium. The effect of pH, adsorbent dose, metal ion concentration and adsorption time was determined. It was found that the optimum conditions for adsorption of lead (Pb) were pH 5, adsorbent dose of 0.4 g/L, Pb(II) ions concentration of 500 mg/L and adsorption time of 1 h. The adsorbent chemically modified SM was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET/BJH and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The percent adsorption of Pb(II) onto chemically modified silica monolith particles was 98%. An isotherm study showed that the adsorption data of Pb(II) onto chemically modified SM was fully fitted with the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. It was found from kinetic study that the adsorption of Pb(II) followed a pseudo second-order model. Moreover, thermodynamic study suggests that the adsorption of Pb(II) is spontaneous and exothermic. The adsorption capacity of chemically modified SM for Pb(II) ions was 792 mg/g which is quite high as compared to the traditional adsorbents. The adsorbent chemically modified SM was regenerated, used again three times for the adsorption of Pb(II) ions and it was found that the adsorption capacity of the regenerated adsorbent was only dropped by 7%. Due to high adsorption capacity chemically modified silica monolith particles could be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater.     

Nanocomposite Silica Aerogel Activated Carbon: Preparation,Characterization and Application to Remove Lead(II) from Aqueous Solutions

Anovel nanocomposite adsorbent, Silica aerogel activated carbon (SA‐AC) has been prepared for the purpose of removing lead ions from aqueous solution in batch process. The nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). In the present investigation, Pb(II) adsorption experiments on nanocomposite were conducted on aqueous solution at different initial Pb(II) concentration, pH of the solution, adsorption temperature, adsorbent dosage and contact time. Optimum pH for the adsorption was found to be 6 with corresponding adsorbent dosage level of 0.5 g and 60 °C temperature. The equilibriumwas achieved within 30 min of contact time. It is remarkable that using the developed nanocomposite absorbent, more than 90% of Pb(II) can be removed under desirable experimental conditions. The efficiency of the ions adsorption was determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to analyze the experimental data. The best interpretation for the experimental data was given by the Freundlich isotherm equation. Desorption experiments by elution of the adsorbent with nitric acid show that the nanocomposite could be reused without significant losses of its initial properties.     

Removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution by modified attapulgite clay

Three low-cost adsorbents (purified raw attapulgite (A-ATP), high-temperature-calcined attapulgite (T-ATP), and hydrothermal loading of MgO (MgO-ATP)) were prepared as adsorbents for the removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II). By evaluating the effect of the initial solution pH, contact time, initial solution concentration, temperature and coexistence of metal ions on Cd(II) and Pb(II) adsorption, the experimental results showed that MgO-ATP was successfully prepared by hydrothermal reaction and calcination as well as appearing to be a promising excellent adsorbent. At an initial pH of 5.0, A-ATP, T-ATP and MgO-ATP reached maximum adsorption amounts of 43.5, 53.9 and 127.6 mg/g for Pb(II) and 10.9, 11.2, and 25.3 mg/g for Cd(II) at 298 K, respectively. The Cd(II) adsorption on A-ATP was fitted by the Freundlich model, while the adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) on T-ATP and MgO-ATP as well as Pb(II) adsorption on A-ATP agreed with the Langmuir model. All kinetic experimental data favored pseudo second-order model. The calculated thermodynamic parameters suggested that Pb(II) adsorption onto MgO-ATP was spontaneous and exothermic. When considering foreign metal ions, the three adsorbents all presented preferential adsorption for Pb (II). Chemical adsorption had a high contribution to the removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) by modified attapulgite. In summary, the adsorption was greatly enhanced by the hydrothermal loading of MgO. It aimed to provide insights into the MgO-ATP, which could be able to efficiently remove Cd(II) and Pb(II) and serve as an economic and promising adsorbent for heavy metal-contaminated environmental remediation.     

Preparation and adsorption mechanism of rare earth-doped adsorbent for arsenic(V) removal from groundwater

Human poisoning and death from arsenic(As) have occurred as a result of drinking water contaminated with As in some regions and countries, such as Taiwan, Chile, Bangladesh, and In-dia[1]. Chronic arsenism poses a serious health problem in China also[2]. If China lowers its current drinking water standard of As from 0.05 to 0.01 mg/L[3], a level adopted by WHO[4] and some industrialized countries[5], the population affected will increase significantly. It is of great impor-tance to develo…     

利用粉状聚合物吸附剂脱除盐酸溶液中氯仿的研究

为了选择合适的吸附剂来脱除盐酸溶液中的氯仿,本文测定了几种聚合物吸附剂在298.15 K温度下对水溶液和20%盐酸溶液中氯仿的吸附等温线,考察了其吸附能力,并将其吸附能力与活性炭和固体石蜡进行了比较。所研究的吸附剂包括粉末状氯化橡胶,聚丙烯,氯化聚丙烯,聚氯乙烯,活性炭和固体石蜡。结果表明,这些吸附剂的吸附行为服从Langmuir 方程,其吸附能力的次序为活性炭>聚氯乙烯>氯化橡胶>聚丙烯 >氯化聚丙烯 >固体石蜡。该次序基本上与从聚氯乙烯到固体石蜡吸附剂中氯含量逐渐降低的次序相一致。聚氯乙烯与氯化橡胶的吸附能力与活性炭相当,其饱和吸附量大约为1.4g-CHCl3/g-吸附剂。所有吸附剂对氯仿的吸附能力均随着溶液中盐酸浓度的增加而降低。结果表明,工业级的粉状聚氯乙烯或氯化橡胶可以作为一种有效的吸附剂脱除水溶液中的氯仿,且具有成本低,吸附性好和易于通过热再生循环利用的特点。     

Equilibrium,kinetic, and thermodynamic studies of lead ion adsorption from mine wastewater onto MoS2-clinoptilolite composite

This work explored the potential of clinoptilolite, molybdenum sulphide (MoS₂), and MoS₂-clinoptilolite composite in lead (Pb) removal from aqueous medium and industrial mining wastewater. MoS₂-clinoptilolite composite was successfully prepared by a hydrothermal method. The surface properties, structure, and composition of the synthesized composite and the parent compounds were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The removal efficiency of lead from aqueous solution was studied in batch-mode experiments. The MoS₂-clinoptilolite was used for the removal of Pb ions (50 mg/L) from an aqueous solution: ~100% of the Pb was removed with a MoS₂-clinoptilolite dose of 0.075 g, pH 6 at 328K within 90 min. The adsorption capacities of Pb onto MoS₂-clinoptilolite were found to be higher than those onto clinoptilolite. Metal ion adsorption behavior was well explained by the Freundlich model, that is, multilayer adsorption of Pb molecules occurred on the heterogeneous surface of adsorbents in case of clinoptilolite, while in the case of MoS₂-clinoptilolite, the Langmuir model was suitable, that is, the adsorption occurred on a monolayer surface. The rate of Pb adsorption was explained by pseudo-second-order model suggesting that the adsorption process is presumably chemisorption. Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔH°, ΔS°, and ΔG° were calculated, which indicated that the adsorption was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. The selectivity of each adsorbent for Pb was also tested by adding the adsorbents to real gold mine water which contains competitive metal ions.     

Kinetic,mechanism and equilibrium studies on removal of Pb(II) using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrus limettioides</Emphasis> peel and seed carbon

The sorption behaviour of Pb(II) ions onto activated carbon prepared from Citrus limettioides peel (CLPC) and seed (CLSC), which is a novel waste material, was evaluated as a function of contact time, pH, adsorbent dose, ionic strength, initial metal ion concentration and temperature in batch adsorption processes with raw Citrus limettioides peel (CLP) and seed (CLS). The maximum uptake of lead(II) ions was obtained at pH range 4.0–6.0 for CLPC, CLSC and 5.0–6.0 for raw materials (CLP, CLS). The optimal contact time was found to be 3 h. Surface morphology and functionality of the adsorbent were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The equilibrium data fit well with the Langmuir isotherm, confirming monolayer coverage of lead(II) ions onto CLP, CLPC, CLS and CLSC. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity of CLP, CLPC, CLS and CLSC was found to be 123.60, 166.67, 15.32 and 142.86 mg/g. The calculated thermodynamic parameters showed that the sorption process was feasible, spontaneous and exothermic in nature. Kinetic studies demonstrated that adsorption of lead(II) ions followed a pseudo-second-order equation, suggesting that the adsorption process is presumably chemisorption. The adsorbents were tested for removal of Pb(II) from electroplating wastewater in connection with the reuse and selectivity of the adsorbents.     

Conducting polymer/alumina composites as viable adsorbents for the removal of fluoride ions from aqueous solution

The polyaniline/alumina (PANi-AlO) and polypyrrole/alumina (PPy-AlO) composites were prepared and characterized by FT-IR, SEM and X-ray diffraction studies and were employed as adsorbents for the removal of fluoride ions from aqueous solution by the batch sorption method. The amount of fluoride ions adsorbed per unit mass of the adsorbents was observed to be higher than that by the individual constituents. The maximal amount of adsorption is 6.6 mg/g for PANi-AlO and for PPy-AlO it is 8 mg/g. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were used to describe adsorption equilibrium. The kinetics of the adsorption process was investigated using Natarajan-Khalaf equation and intraparticle diffusion model. FT-IR and XRD pattern of the adsorbent, before and after the adsorption is recorded to get better insight into the mechanism of the adsorption process. The results of equilibrium and spectral investigations revealed that the mechanism of fluoride ion removal by these composites involve both the formation of aluminium-fluoro complexes on the alumina surface and doping/dopant-exchange of fluoride ions in the polymer.     

Post Synthetic Modification of NH2-(Zr-MOF) via Rapid Microwave-promoted Synthesis for Effective Adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II)

Excessive heavy metals in the water constitute a health hazard to humans, yet it may be efficiently purified using adsorbents. Herein, for the first time, UiO-66-NH₂ was modified by Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) via microwave heating method to investigate its potential for adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) metal ions. Synthesized MOF was characterized by TGA, XRD, BET, FE-SEM-EDX, and FTIR. The MOF has a huge surface area of 1144 m²/g, a mean pore diameter of 2.84 nm, and a total pore volume of 0.37 cm³/g. The effect of UiO-66-GMA performance was evaluated by investigating the impact of pH (1–9), contact time (0–200 min), initial metal ions concentration (20–1000 mg/L), temperature (25–55 °C), adsorbent dosage (0.5–3 g/L), and co existences of other metals was investigated on Pb(II) and Cd(II) percentage removal. Following an analysis of the adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics, the Temkin isothermal model showed an excellent fit with the adsorption data (R² = 0.99). The adsorption process was a spontaneous endothermic reaction and kinetically followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. Microwave heating method produced highly crystalline small Zr-MOF nanoparticles with a short reaction time. It promoted the simple yet highly efficient synthesis of Zr-based MOFs, as shown by the reaction mass space-time yield. The adsorption capability of Pb to the presence of several polar functional groups, including as primary and secondary amines, ester, alkene, and hydroxyl groups. This adsorbent is a potential candidate for wastewater treatment due to its outstanding structural stability in acidic and basic solutions, high removal efficiency, and recyclability.     

Study of congo red adsorption on the polyaniline and polypyrrole

Polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole (PPY) were synthesized via in situ chemical oxidative polymerization and are used as adsorbents for removal of Congo Red (CR) dye from aqueous solution. The effects of various experimental parameters including pH of the solution, contact time, initial concentration, adsorbent dosage, and temperature on adsorption of CR by PANI and PPY were systematically investigated. The experimental results showed that the adsorption efficiency was increased with contact time and adsorbent dosage. The maximum removal efficiency was found after 45 minutes of solid/liquid contact with adsorbent doses of 0.4 and 1.73?g/L for PANI and PPY, respectively. The kinetic data were best fitted by the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption equilibrium results were well fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model. These results suggest that the PANI and PPY can be used as alternative adsorbents for the treatment of wastewaters containing dyes.     

Highly efficient removal of Cr(VI) from wastewater via adsorption with novel magnetic Fe3O4@C@MgAl-layered double-hydroxide

Novel magnetic Fe₃O₄@C@MgAl-layered double-hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles have been successfully prepared by the chemical self-assembly methods. The properties of surface functional groups, crystal structure, magnetism and surface morphology of magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravity-differential thermal gravity (TG-DTG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The adsorption studies of the novel adsorbent in removing heavy metals Cr (VI) from waste water showed that the maximum absorption amount of Cr(VI) was 152.0 mg/g at 40℃ and pH 6.0. The excellent adsorption capacity of the Fe₃O₄@C@MgAl-LDH nano-absorbents plus their easy separation, environmentally friendly composition and reusability makes them more suitable adsorbents for the removal of metal ions from waste water.     

The starch modified montmorillonite for the removal of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions

In the present study, we attempted to synthesize a novel sorbent from the starch modified montmorillonite for the removal of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Structure and properties of the adsorbent were characterized by Fourier-transformed infrared(FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Field emission scanning electron microscopic (FE-SEM) techniques. Batch experiments were confirmed through the effect of different conditions including pH, contact time, initial metal concentration and adsorbent dose. Specifically, the optimum value of adsorbent dose was achieved as 20 g/l for the removal of almost metal ions. The adsorption data was fitted with the optimum pH value as 5 for all experiments. The contact time at which the uptake of maximum metal adsorption was observed within 45 min for Pb(II), 90 min for Cd(II), and 60 min for Ni(II). In addition, it was revealed in our study that the equilibrium data obeyed the Langmuir model, and the adsorption kinetic followed a pseudo second-order rate model. Obtained results were noticeable for a modified phyllosilicate adsorbent, and with such a simple and low-cost modification for montmorillonite, the potential of this material as an economical and effective adsorbent for the removal of metal ions from aqueous solution was considerably elevated.     

The effects of acid and alkali modification on the adsorption performance of fuller's earth for basic dye

The objective of this work was to prepare modified adsorbents from fuller's earth (FE) by acid and alkali treatment for enhancement cationic dye adsorption. Toluidine blue (TB) was selected as adsorbate for evaluating the adsorption performance of fuller's earth samples, which was affected significantly by acid and alkali modification. The adsorption of TB was studied by visible spectra. The absorption band of the monomer at low loading of TB in FE suspension with respect to its maximum in aqueous solution is red-shifted, which is related to accessibility of dye interlamellar space in the presence of positively charged surface sites. Since all surfaces are negatively charged under experimental conditions, this effect has not been observed in acid- and alkali-treated FE suspensions. It was seen that the adsorption capacity of alkali-treated surface (FEAl) for TB was higher than these of acid-treated adsorbent (FEAc) and FE. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and fluorescence (XRF) spectra were applied to analyze the structure of the raw and modified FE samples. Absence of any identifiable amount of a crystalline compound in the solid reaction products after acid treatment was confirmed by XRD and SEM, whereas the crystalline form of FEAl was preserved. Experimental data for high-concentration regions were well described by Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption equations. The thermodynamic parameters were estimated for FE, FEAc, and FEAl by using temperature dependence of adsorption equilibrium constants.     

Adsorption behavior of uranium on polyvinyl alcohol-g-amidoxime: Physicochemical properties, kinetic and thermodynamic aspects

Amidoxime-based adsorbents are widely studied as the main adsorbent in the recovery of uranium from seawater.However,the adsorption rate and loading capacity of such adsorbents should be further improved due to the economic viability consideration.In this paper,polyvinyl alcohol functionalized with amidoxime(PVA-g-AO)has been prepared as a new adsorbent for uranium(Ⅵ)adsorption from aqueous solution.The physicochemical properties of PVA-g-AO were investigated using infrared spectroscopy(IR),scanning electron microscope(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).Results showed that the ligand monomers were successfully grafted onto the matrixes.The XRD and XPS analysis showed that uranium was adsorbed in metal ionic form rather than in crystal form.Uranyl(U(Ⅵ))adsorption properties onto PVA-g-AO were evaluated.The adsorption of U(Ⅵ)by PVA-g-AO was fast,with an equilibrium time of less than 50 min.Additionally the maximum adsorption capacity reached 42.84 mg/g at pH 4.0.     

Adsorption of Pb(2+) ions on nanosized gamma-Fe(2)O(3): formation of surface ternary complexes on ligand complexation

Adsorption of Pb²⁺ ions on the combustion derived nanosized γ-Fe₂O₃ and its thiourea complex composite is reported. The adsorbents upon adsorption of Pb²⁺ ions are characterised by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis and infrared spectroscopy techniques. The eluent is characterised by atomic absorption spectroscopy for the estimation of Pb²⁺ ions. The reduction in the amount of lead after adsorption was estimated to be around 50% in case of complex composite adsorbent and around 15% in case of the γ-Fe₂O₃ adsorbents. Orthorhombic PbSO₄ precipitated out from the eluent and is reported with a model reaction. Adsorption of lead onto the complex composite is explained through the formation of a surface tertiary complex. The advantage of employing a thiourea-γ-Fe₂O₃ complex composite as solid adsorbent for the adsorption of heavy metal pollutants is envisaged in the present investigation.