Fast-simplistic fabrication of MoO3@Al2O3-MgO triple nanocomposites for efficient elimination of pharmaceutical contaminants
Rasmiah S. Almufarij, Babiker Y. Abdulkhair, Moslih Amer Salih
Abstract
The presence of antibiotics in water is considered one of the most significant global tragedies. The study successfully devised a practical and straightforward operational approach for synthesizing environmentally safe nanocomposites for removing antibiotics from water. Mainly, Al2O3MgO (0-MoO3), 5 %MoO3@Al2O3MgO (5-MoO3), and 10 %MoO3@Al2O3MgO (10-MoO3) nanocomposites were fabricated as environmentally friendly sorbents. The morphology inspections of 0-MoO3, 5-MoO3, and 10-MoO3 showed mean size ranges of 42.8 – 54.9, 33.6 – 44.5, and 39.3 – 44.9 nm, respectively, while their surface areas were 56.8, 112.8, and 75.6 m2/g, respectively. The X-ray diffraction indicated the purity of the nanocomposites and showed MoO3 phases in the triple nanocomposites pattern. The adsorption of chloro-tetracycline (CTTC) on 0-MoO3, 5-MoO3, and 10-MoO3 resulted in qt values of 96.3, 150.1, and 125.9 mg g−1, respectively. The CTTC sorption onto the three sorbents took approximately 90 min; the best removal was noticed at a pH = 6.0 at 25℃, and the solution: sorbent ratio of 5:12 is proper for treating up to 100 mg L-1 CTTC contamination. The Langmuir model was the best isotherm describing CTTC sorption onto 5-MoO3, with an R2 of 0.96, and the Dubinin- Radushkevich (DM) revealed a physisorption process. The thermodynamic evaluation of CTTC sorption on 5-MoO3 indicated exothermicity and spontaneity of the physisorption. The 5-MoO3 nanocomposite has shown outstanding performance in treating natural water samples and in experiments on its regenerative and reusing ability. These findings indicate that the 5-MoO3 nanocomposite has the potential for effective decontamination of polluted water.