No abstract

In present work, the activated carbon was prepared from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by chemical process. Nanocomposites were formed using activated carbon and ZnO nanoparticles to get improved electrostatic interactions for the successful adsorption of heavy metal ions such as nickel, cadmium, lead and chromium from aqueous solution. The prepared nanocomposites were further characterized using XRD, SEM and EDAX techniques. The heavy metal ions removal efficacy was evaluated through ICP-OES. The result showed that the prepared nanocomposite efficiently adsorbed 76.75-92.40% nickel, 75.80-92.25% cadmium, 86.25-96.30% lead and 76.37-95.26% chromium. Nanocomposites showed a significant antimicrobial activity against Streptococci and B. subtilis.