Efficient Removal of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants from Water Using Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@CS@EDTA Nanocomposite: Optimization via Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

Abstract

The elimination of pollution from wastewater holds significant value, especially when targeting colored and heavy metals originating from industrial activities. This study aims to optimize the degradation of both organic and inorganic pollutants in water by utilizing Fe3O4@SiO2@CS@EDTA (NCM@EDTA) core‐shell nanocomposite adsorbents. The NCM@EDTA adsorbents were synthesized in a step‐by‐step process and characterized using various techniques. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed an increase in average size to 137 nm, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the presence of a core‐shell structure. Additional characterization techniques included XRD, XPS, FT‐IR, EDX, BET analysis, and VSM, establishing the presence of functional groups, elemental analysis, and magnetic properties. Optimization of pollutant removal was conducted using response surface methodology (RSM), considering factors such as NCM@EDTA amount, reaction time, and temperature. Under optimized conditions, significant removal efficiency for Congo red, Safranin, and Cu2+ – representing cationic, anionic, and inorganic pollutants – was observed. The adequacy of the models was evaluated using p‐Value, F‐value, adjusted R2, and correlation coefficient (R2) for every pollutant, indicating a strong agreement between experimental data and predicted values. Additionally, the process of adsorbent recycling was studied, revealing that the internal structure remains unchanged throughout the removal and recovery process.