An environmentally friendly technique was used to prepare titanium dioxide@ silver (core shell) (TiO₂@Ag NPs) using chard leaf extract, a natural stabilizer and reductant. A nanocomposite (NCs) of TiO₂@Ag supported by halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), TiO2@Ag/HNT NCs, was prepared under microwave irradiation. The microwave technique is used to accelerate the reaction and enhance the homogeneity of nanoparticle distribution. Spectroscopic and structural analyses were performed on the resulting nanocomposite. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed a clear crystalline structure with grain sizes ranging from 7 to 15 nm, with an average of ~11 nm, the transmission electron microscope (TEM) revealed that the size of nanoparticles in the TiO₂@Ag/HNT NCs sample ranges from 20 to 80 nm, with some localized agglomerations visible in specific areas. UV–Vis absorption spectra indicated significant optical activity in the visible and UV ranges, indicating improved photonic properties. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra revealed the presence of intergroup bonds. The active ingredients in the plant extract and the TiO2@Ag/HNT nanocomposite surface were found, indicating the extract’s role in stabilization. The zeta potential test showed good stability, with a value of −57 mV. The TiO₂@Ag/HNT NCs demonstrated high efficiency in the adsorption of heavy metal mercury (Hg(II)) from contaminated water, achieving a removal rate of 100%. This result reflects the unique effectiveness of the TiO₂@Ag/HNT and its outstanding ability to treat mercury pollution efficiently. These results demonstrate the potential for producing a multifunctional nanocomposite in an environmentally friendly and efficient manner, making it a practical option for various photocatalytic and water treatment applications.
The removal of COD from wastewater generated by petroleum refinery has been investigated by adopting electrocoagulation (EC) combined with adsorption using activated carbon (AC) derived from avocado seeds. The process variables influencing COD removal were studied: current density (2–10 mA/cm2), pH (4–9), and AC dosage (0.2–1 g/L). Response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box–Behnken design (BBD) was used to construct a mathematical model of the EC/AC process. Results showed that current density has the major effect on the COD removal with a percent of contribution 32.78% followed by pH while AC dosage has not a remarkable effect due to the good characteristics of AC derived from avocado seeds. Increasing current density gives be
... Show MoreThere are still areas around the world suffer from severe shortage of freshwater supplies. Desalination technologies are not widely used due to their high energy usage, cost, and environmental damaging effects. In this study, a mathematical model of single-bed adsorption desalination system using silica gel-water as working pair is developed and validated via earlier experiments. A very good match between the model predictions and the experimental results is recorded. The objective is to reveal the factors affecting the productivity of fresh water and cooling effect in the solar adsorption system. The proposed model is setup for solving within the commercially-available software (Engineering Equation Solver). It is implemented to so
... Show MoreIn this study, manganese dioxide (MnO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via the hydrothermal method and utilized for the adsorption of Janus green dye (JG) from aqueous solutions. The effects of MnO₂ NPs on kinetics and diffusion were also analyzed. The synthesized NPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), with XRD confirming the nanoparticle size of 6.23 nm. The adsorption kinetics were investigated using three models: pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), and the intraparticle diffusion model. The PSO model provided the best fit (R² = 0.999), indicating that the adsorpti
... Show MoreRelease of industrial effluents comprising dyes in water bodies is one of the foremost causes of water pollution. Therefore, the proper and proficient treatment of these dyes contaminated left-over material before their release is crucial. Herein, an eco-friendly biological macromolecule Gum-Acacia (GA) integrated Fe3O4 nanoparticles composite hydrogel was manufactured via co-precipitation technique for effective adsorption of Congo red (CR) dye existing in water bodies. The as-prepared magnetic GA/Fe3O4 composite hydrogel was characterized by FTIR, XRD, EDX, VSM, SEM, and BET techniques. These studies discovered the fruitful fabrication of biodegradable magnetic GA/Fe3O4 composite hydrogel possessing porous structure with large surface are
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