Alginate–Moroccan Clay, New Bio-Nanocomposite for Removal of H2PO4−, HPO42−, and NO3− Ions from Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

The aim of this work is to synthesize and characterize alginate–Moroccan clay bio-composite in order to improve our understanding of the adsorption of inorganic pollutants found in textile effluents. Characterization of the bio-composite used was carried out using a variety of techniques (IR-TF, SEM, DRX, and pHZPC). The influence of the medium’s physico-chemical parameters (temperature, pH, initial concentration, etc.) on the retention of inorganic pollutants was also studied. Studies of adsorption and inorganic pollutants such as orthophosphate (H2PO4− and HPO42−) and nitrate (NO3−) ions were carried out, using simple solutions from the laboratory, in a batch system. This study explored the impact of adsorbent dose, contact time, solution pH, and temperature on the adsorption process. Various kinetic models, including pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, intra-particle diffusion, and Elovich models, were tested and evaluated, to illustrate the adsorption kinetics. This study’s findings demonstrated that the adsorption process follows second-order kinetics, with associated rate constants successfully determined. The correlation coefficient for the pseudo-second-order kinetic model is nearly equal to 1 (>0.98), and the value of theoretical adsorption capacity (qe,the) is comparable to the experimental one (qe,the = 58.14 mg/g for H2PO4−, qe,the = 54.64 mg/g for HPO42−, and qe,the = 52.63 mg/g for NO3−). Additionally, the adsorption equilibrium was investigated through the application of various mathematical models, including the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models, to assess the mechanistic parameters associated with the adsorption process. Among these models, the Langmuir isotherm emerged as the most suitable one for characterizing the adsorption of H2PO4−, HPO42−, and NO3− ions using bio-nanocomposite beads. The maximum adsorbed amounts of metal ions by the bio-nanocomposite used were 625 mg/g for H2PO4−, 909.09 mg/g for HPO42−, and 588.23 mg/g for NO3− from the batch system. The endothermic and physical nature of the adsorption is suggested by the positive values of ΔH°, which is consistent with experimental findings. The adsorption process is spontaneous, as evidenced by the negative ΔG° values. Positive ΔS° values indicate increased randomness at the solid/liquid interface during adsorption of ion-organic ions onto the engineered bio-nanocomposite. The obtained results demonstrated that, from a scientific perspective, alginate–Moroccan clay bio-nanocomposites exhibit a highly significant adsorption capability for the removal of oxyanions in aqueous environments.

Adsorption of Metal Ions from Single and Binary Aqueous Systems on Bio-Nanocomposite, Alginate-Clay

“…The natural clay used in this study was analyzed and characterized by [37]. They showed that natural clay can be identified by two aspects, according to SEM images as follows: the distributed powder and the creation of a few agglomerates with varying forms.…”

“…These agglomerates are created at higher magnifications by the assembling of microscopic particles with varying forms and a heterogeneous morphology. The agglomerate shapes depicted in Figure 1 are distinguished by the substantial number of pores distributed across the entire surface area of the natural clay employed [37].…”