Adsorption Studies of Zinc, Copper, and Lead Ions From Pharmaceutical Wastewater Onto Silver Modified Clay Adsorbent

Abstract

Clay-supported silver nanoparticles were green synthesized using the aqueous leaf extract of Parkia biglobosa. The phytochemical analysis and FTIR results of the Parkia biglobosa showed that the leaf contains phenol, tanning, and flavonoids, which act as reducing, capping, and stabilizing agents required for the synthesis of the silver nanoparticles. The prepared adsorbent has good morphology, is rich in silica, and contains functional groups suitable for heavy metal binding. The adsorptions of Zn, Cu, and Pb from pharmaceutical wastewater onto the silver-modified clay were studied as an adsorbent dosage and contact time. From the percentage removal results obtained, the adsorbent had up to 99.96%, 99.5%, and 99.44% removal efficiency for Zn, Pb, and Cu, respectively. The present work shows that the synthesized silver nanoparticles supported on local clay can be used as a potentially low-cost adsorbent to remove heavy metal ions from industrial wastewater.