Green and eco-friendly nanocomposite for the removal of toxic Hg(II) metal ion from aqueous environment: Adsorption kinetics & isotherm modelling

Magnetic bio-composite was fabricated using curcumin and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The structure and morphology of the resin (CG) and the curcumin based magnetic nanocomposite (CMNC) was analyzed by several techniques. The CMNC was applied as an adsorbent which revealed outstanding abilities for the adsorption of Hg(II) ions. The equilibrium data coincided with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm indicating the maximum adsorption capacity of CMNC 144.9 mg/g for Hg(II). The adsorption kinetic was well-defined by the pseudo-first-order. The thermodynamic results showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic at the studied temperatures. The cycling adsorption/desorption tests were made by using 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid solution which revealed that CMNC had good reusable ability up to four cycles. It can be suggested from the results that CMNC could be easily and efficiently used for the removal of Hg(II) from aqueous solution.