Phosphate containing untreated wastewater, discharged into water bodies, can cause eutrophication, leading to harmful effects on the ecosystem and human health. This study focuses on a simple, low-cost, and novel approach towards removing excess phosphate ions from aqueous solutions by adsorbing on onto two-dimensional (2-D) magnesium oxide nano-flakes (MONFs). The phosphate removal efficiency was tested with different concentrations of phosphate solutions (2-25 mg L À 1 ), pH levels (3-11), adsorbent dosages (0.025-0.250 g), and contact times (10-50 min). The maximum phosphate removal percentage of 100 % was obtained with 50.0 mL of 3 mg L À 1 phosphate solution using 0.125 g of the synthesized MONFs with a phosphate absorption capacity of 29.9 mg g À 1 . Moreover, the adsorption data fit with the Freundlich isotherm, with an R 2 value of 0.952. The adsorption kinetic data follow the pseudosecond-order model, with an R 2 value of 0.995, suggesting that the adsorption process is chemisorption.
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