Nanocomposite materials for decontamination of highly toxic acid dye from aqueous streams

ABSTRACT

The rising issue of water pollution, driven by industry, urbanisation, and population increase, needs urgent action to address the release of contaminants. This study tackles the critical need for a low-cost, highly efficient adsorbent to extract toxic dyes from aqueous streams. The innovation lies in the synthesis of Cu/TiO₂-CWSP composite, and composites with varying percentages of copper doping and comparing Cu/TiO₂-CWSP composites with other nanocomposites, such as Li/TiO₂-CWSP, Na₂SiO₃-CWSP, and various CaO-Fe-based composites. The works thoroughly optimised important parameters, including adsorbent dosage, pH, initial dye concentration, and exposure period, demonstrating their major influence on dye removal efficiency. Furthermore, the study assessed the effect of beginning pH on the adjustment of final pH, demonstrating variable efficiency levels depending on initial conditions. Recent research has evaluated numerous adsorbents, analysed by SEM. The highest % removal of acid green dye using Cu/TiO₂-CWSP composite was at pH 7, dose of 0.5 g/L with a value of 99.12% achieved after 60 minutes only. The removal effectiveness of acid green dye improved as the percentage of Cu/TiO₂ in the composite increased. Cu/TiO₂-CWSP composite showed the presence of very fine particles at the surface of composite in SEM micrograph having a zeta Potential value of −20.9 mV. In conclusion, this study presents an innovative approach for efficiently removing acid green dye from aqueous solutions through adsorption-photocatalysis synergy. The findings contribute to addressing the critical issue of water pollution, especially in the textile industry, offering a sustainable path towards cleaner water resources.

KEYWORDS:

• Dye removal
• water treatment
• nanocomposites
• photocatalysis
• adsorption

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).