Ecofriendly Maghemite/Halloysite-like Nanotubes Nanocomposite for Highly Efficient Removal of Cd(II) from Industrial Wastewater
Tahany K. Mohamed, Mahmoud F. Mubarak, Mohamed Keshawy, Thanaa Abdel Moghny, S.A. Sayed, Omnia I. Ali
Abstract
Abstract Kaolinite is a widely available and inexpensive substance that has been successfully employed to decontaminate different hazardous contaminants from wastewater by adsorption. In this study, halloysite-like nanotubes (HNTs) were prepared via intercalation followed by ultrasonic rolling of the kaolinite layers. Then, maghemite nanoparticles were co-precipitated within the HNTs matrix to produce a maghemite/HNTs nanocomposite (MG@HNTs). XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, and a BET analyzer were used to characterize the MG@HNTs nanocomposite, which was then utilized to eliminate Cd(II) from aqueous solutions (water and wastewater). Using a batch methodology, the impact of various adsorption parameters on Cd(II) removal was explored. MG@HNTs nanocomposite exhibited a high adsorption capacity ( q e ) of 264.47 mg g −1 for Cd (II). The kinetic data well conformed to pseudo-2nd-order, while the adsorption isotherms conformed to the Langmuir model. The desorption study demonstrated that the MG@HNTs nanocomposite could be successfully regenerated and recycled five times, without losing its original removal efficiency. Furthermore, MG@HNTs exhibited effective implementation to remove cadmium from real water samples, including tap and industrial wastewater. This study confirmed the successful application of MG@HNTs as an efficient, eco-friendly, and sustainable adsorbent at a high level of feasibility for the uptake of hazardous contaminants from industrial wastewater.