Nano sized Fe–Al oxide mixed with natural maize cob sorbent for lead remediation

Abstract

The present work involves the synthesis, characterization and sorption behavior of Fe–Al–MC nanocomposite for the removal of Pb (II) ions from industrial waste water. The sorbent was synthesized by impregnation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were applied to study the surface structure, compositions and morphology of the materials. Fourier transform infrared technique was used to analyze the effect of surface properties on the adsorption behavior of Pb(II) ions. The optimum effects of the parameters on the adsorption of Pb (II) ions were determined to be, pH = 6, dose = 2 g, contact time = 24 h h and agitation speed = 150 rpm and initial Pb (II) ions 10 ppm. Experimentally, the adsorbed amounts of lead ion tend to decrease with increase in pH. Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models fit the equilibrium data well on the adsorbent. Kinetic data correlated well with the pseudo second order kinetic model. Thermodynamic studies resulted in negative ΔG value indicating the spontaneity of the sorption process. The Fe–Al–MC nanocomposite sorbent showed a sorption capacity of 40.00 mg g−1 at pH 6. Therefore, this adsorbent with large sorption capacity and efficiency is a promising adsorbent for the removal of Pb(II) ions from the wastewater.