Fast-simplistic fabrication of MoO3@Al2O3-MgO triple nanocomposites for efficient elimination of pharmaceutical contaminants

Abstract

The presence of antibiotics in water is considered one of the most significant global tragedies. The study successfully devised a practical and straightforward operational approach for synthesizing environmentally safe nanocomposites for removing antibiotics from water. Mainly, Al2O3MgO (0-MoO3), 5 %MoO3@Al2O3MgO (5-MoO3), and 10 %MoO3@Al2O3MgO (10-MoO3) nanocomposites were fabricated as environmentally friendly sorbents. The morphology inspections of 0-MoO3, 5-MoO3, and 10-MoO3 showed mean size ranges of 42.8 – 54.9, 33.6 – 44.5, and 39.3 – 44.9 nm, respectively, while their surface areas were 56.8, 112.8, and 75.6 m2/g, respectively. The X-ray diffraction indicated the purity of the nanocomposites and showed MoO3 phases in the triple nanocomposites pattern. The adsorption of chloro-tetracycline (CTTC) on 0-MoO3, 5-MoO3, and 10-MoO3 resulted in qt values of 96.3, 150.1, and 125.9 mg g−1, respectively. The CTTC sorption onto the three sorbents took approximately 90 min; the best removal was noticed at a pH = 6.0 at 25℃, and the solution: sorbent ratio of 5:12 is proper for treating up to 100 mg L-1 CTTC contamination. The Langmuir model was the best isotherm describing CTTC sorption onto 5-MoO3, with an R2 of 0.96, and the Dubinin- Radushkevich (DM) revealed a physisorption process. The thermodynamic evaluation of CTTC sorption on 5-MoO3 indicated exothermicity and spontaneity of the physisorption. The 5-MoO3 nanocomposite has shown outstanding performance in treating natural water samples and in experiments on its regenerative and reusing ability. These findings indicate that the 5-MoO3 nanocomposite has the potential for effective decontamination of polluted water.