Influence of Synthesis-Heating Conditions on the Porosity and Performance of a Carbon Nanotube/SDS-Alumina Nanocomposite for Effective Wastewater Treatment: Fabrication, Characterization, and Adsorption Modeling

Abstract

Wastewater treatment for the removal of heavy metals can reduce environmental contamination, enable safer industrial activities, and enhance sustainable practices. Efficient materials processing oriented to low temperature operating conditions; thus, the development and modeling of carbon nanotube/SDS-alumina nanocomposite-based adsorbents (CNT/ SDS-alumina) for efficient wastewater treatment are investigated in this work. The optimization of a low temperature-based process is targeted in this work to achieve a cost-effective method for fabrication of CNT/SDSalumina nanocomposites. The fabrication process involves the investigation of various heating conditions in an oven and autoclave with successful optimization for the formation of porous CNT/SDS-alumina nanocomposite-based adsorbents. The fabricated materials were characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD, FTIR, and surface area analysis. The results indicate that the heating condition is the factor controlling the formation of the porous structure of the CNT/SDS-alumina nanocomposite, which affects the wastewater treatment application. The surface area was higher (49.26−51.02 cm 2 /g) for CNT/SDS-alumina nanocomposite-based adsorbents prepared under autoclave heating conditions. The best adsorption capacity values obtained using the CNT/SDS-alumina nanocomposite prepared under autoclave conditions were 463 mg/g for arsenic ions and 418 mg/g for mercury ions, revealing the high efficiency of the prepared materials for the adsorption of pollutants. The adsorption process for the removal of arsenic and mercury is reported to follow the second-order kinetic model. The adsorption data for the CNT/SDS-alumina nanocomposite-based adsorbents prepared under autoclave heating conditions are well fitted with the Langmuir isotherm, suggesting a monolayer adsorption mechanism. Additionally, the prepared CNT/SDS-alumina nanocomposite-based adsorbents are recommended for potential applications involving the adsorption of various heavy metals for real wastewater treatment situations.

Synthesis and Characterization of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Anchored Carbon as Hybrid Adsorbent Materials for Effective Heavy Metals Uptake from Wastewater

“…This could be attributed to an increase in unoccupied sites resulting from the increase in ZnO-C at a constant heavy metal ion concentration. A similar trend for the influence of dose on the adsorption capacity was previously reported by Habila et al for the adsorption of arsenic and mercury onto CNT/SDS-alumina nanoparticles [55].…”

“…Applying adsorption theories is important for studying the characteristics of hybrid adsorbent materials to enhance their performance and develop a well-controlled process for wastewater treatments [55,56]. To deeply assess the interaction between the developed ZnO-C and Zn(II), Cd(II), Co(II), and Mn(II), various models were applied, such as the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Langmuir isotherm, and Freundlich isotherm models, as stated in the related equations provided in Table 2.…”

Synthesis and Characterization of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Anchored Carbon as Hybrid Adsorbents for Effective Heavy Metals-Uptake from Wastewater

“…This could be attributed to unoccupied sites is increased by increasing ZnO-C at constant heavy metals ions concentration. The similar trend for the influence of dose on the adsorption capacity is previously reported by Habila et.al., for removal of arsenic and mercury onto CNT/SDS-Alumina nanoparticles [41]. Moreover, the influence of time of contacting of Zn(II), Cd(II), Co(II) and Mn(II) with the ZnO-C were investigated in the range between 5 and 1200 min.…”

“…Applying adsorption theories is important to study the characteristics of the adsorbent's hybrid materials to enhances the performance and develop a well-controlled process for wastewater treatments [41,42]. To deeply assess the interaction between the developed ZnO-C and Zn(II), Cd(II), Co(II) and Mn(II), various models are applied such as pseudo 1 st order, pseudo 2 nd order, Langmuir isotherm and Freundlich isotherm as stated in the related equations provided in Table 1.…”

Alginate Modified Magnetic Polypyrrole Nanocomposite for the Adsorptive Removal of Heavy Metal

“…With an unprecedented industrial growth rate, the stress on aquatic ecosystems is increasing [1]. Effluents from various industries, including leather processing, textile manufacture, electroplating, metal finishing, and dye production, include dyes, heavy metals, insecticides, pesticides, and other contaminants that contribute significantly to environmental contamination [2][3][4][5]. Heavy metal ions, such as mercury(II), are especially worrying among these pollutants because they are dumped into aquatic ecosystems, presenting significant threats to human health and the ecosystem [6].…”