Adsorption of Cd(II) and Fe(II) Ions by Inorganic Nanocomposites (CuO/ZnO) from Aqueous Solutions

Mohammed Khlaif Challab; Mohammad Javad Chaichi; Mohammed Turki Khathi; Omleila Nazari; Shahram Ghasemi

doi:10.22146/ijc.104802

Adsorption of Cd(II) and Fe(II) Ions by Inorganic Nanocomposites (CuO/ZnO) from Aqueous Solutions

https://doi.org/10.22146/ijc.104802

Mohammed Khlaif Challab^(1*), Mohammad Javad Chaichi⁽²⁾, Mohammed Turki Khathi⁽³⁾, Omleila Nazari⁽⁴⁾, Shahram Ghasemi⁽⁵⁾

(1) Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandaran, Pasdaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran 47416-13534, Iran
(2) Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandaran, Pasdaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran 47416-13534, Iran
(3) Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Thi-Qar University, Al-Jadriya, Nasiriyah 64001, Iraq
(4) Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandaran, Pasdaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran 47416-13534, Iran
(5) Faculty of Chemistry, University of Mazandaran, Pasdaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran 47416-13534, Iran
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the nanocomposite effectiveness from CuO:ZnO-NPs at a 1:1 ratio in water-polluting heavy metals adsorption from aqueous solutions, since these heavy metals adversely affect living organisms, including cadmium and iron. The research also examines the effectiveness of heavy metal removal when influenced by parameters like pH, adsorption dose, contact duration, initial concentration, and temperature. The maximum adsorption efficiency of heavy metals reached 86.7% for Cd(II) and 84.9% for Fe(II) at 25 °C when solution conditions totaled 10 mg/L of heavy metals alongside a pH setting of 6 using 0.09 g of sorbent. The structural and physical properties of the sorbent were analyzed by atomic and FTIR, along with FE-SEM, BET, XRD, and EDX systems. This study aimed to find an economical approach for heavy metal-infused water purification and analyze water quality changes to prove the feasibility of treating these pollutants using sorbent surfaces.

Keywords

adsorption; nano-adsorbent; removal; composite; heavy metals

Full Text:

Full Text PDF Full Text PDF-Suppl. Data

References

[1] Al-Ghanimi, B.K., Abd Nusaif, K.I., and Al-Baiati, M.N., 2025, Novel nano chitosan loaded with amoxicillin as inhibitor lung cancer cell line (A549): Biological activity and molecular studies, Moroccan J. Chem., 13 (2), 480–494.‏

[2] Abdulnabi, O.W., Alsalame, H.A.A., and AL-Baiati, M.N., 2025, Preparation and characterization a nano chitosan-mefenamic acid composites as biocompatible treatment anti-colon cancer cell line HCT-29, Moroccan J. Chem., 13 (1), 366–380.‏

[3] Shinde, S., Parjane, S., Turakane, H., Basnet, P., Oza, R., Abhale, Y., and Ghotekar, S., 2023, Bio-inspired synthesis and characterizations of groundnut shells-mediated Cu/CuO/Cu₂O nanoparticles for anticancer, antioxidant, and DNA damage activities, J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol., 106 (3), 737–747.‏

[4] Sukumar, S., Rudrasenan, A., and Padmanabhan Nambiar, D., 2020, Green-synthesized rice-shaped copper oxide nanoparticles using Caesalpinia bonducella seed extract and their applications, ACS Omega, 5 (2), 1040–1051.‏

[5] Choudhary, N., Chaudhari, J., Mochi, V., Patel, P., Ali, D., Alarifi, S., Sahoo, D.K., and Yadav, V.K., 2023, Phytonanofabrication of copper oxide from Albizia saman and its potential as an antimicrobial agent and remediation of Congo red dye from wastewater, Water, 15 (21), 3787.‏

[6] Jabeen, S., Siddiqui, V.U., Bala, S., Mishra, N., Mishra, A., Lawrence, R., Bansal, P., Khan, A.R., and Khan, T., 2024, Biogenic synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles from Aloe vera: Antibacterial activity, molecular docking, and photocatalytic dye degradation, ACS Omega, 9 (28), 30190–30204.‏

[7] Challab, M.K., 2024, Removal of Pb(II) and Cu(II) from water using silver nanoparticles prepared using extract plant (Albizia odoratissima), Al-Qadisiyah J. Pure Sci., 29 (1), 11.‏

[8] Chan, Y.B., Aminuzzaman, M., Win, Y.F., Djearamane, S., Wong, L.S., Guha, S.K., Almohammadi, H., Akhtaruzzaman, M., and Tey, L.H., 2024, Garcinia mangostana L. leaf-extract-assisted green synthesis of CuO, ZnO and CuO-ZnO nanomaterials for the photocatalytic degradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME), Catalysts, 14 (8), 486.‏

[9] Malvandi, H., 2024, Metals concentration and human health risk assessment in some fish species from the southern Caspian Sea, Mar. Pollut. Bull., 202, 116336.‏

[10] Charkiewicz, A.E., Omeljaniuk, W.J., Garley, M., and Nikliński, J., 2025, Mercury exposure and health effects: What do we really know?, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 26 (5), 2326.‏

[11] Hassan, K.H., Saadi, S.K., Jarullah, A.A., and Harris, P., 2018, Green synthesis and structural characterisation of CuO nanoparticles prepared by using fig leaves extract, Pak. J. Sci. Ind. Res., Ser. A, 61 (2), 59–65.‏

[12] Hamouda, R.A., Yousuf, W.E., Mohammed, A.B.A., Mohammed, R.S., Darwish, D.B., and Abdeen, E.E., 2020, Comparative study between zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesis by biogenic and wet chemical methods in vivo and in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus, Microb. Pathog., 147, 104384.‏

[13] Bagheri, A.R., Ghaedi, M., Asfaram, A., Bazrafshan, A.A., and Jannesar, R., 2017, Comparative study on ultrasonic assisted adsorption of dyes from single system onto Fe₃O₄ magnetite nanoparticles loaded on activated carbon: Experimental design methodology, Ultrason. Sonochem., 34, 294–304.‏

[14] Aziz, S.M.A., Nayef, U.M., and Rasheed, M., 2025, Synthesis of CuO@ZnO nanoparticle core–shell formed via laser ablation in liquid for photocatalytic applications, Plasmonics, 20 (5), 2595–2605.‏

[15] Mahmoud, M.E., Kamel, N.K., Amira, M.F., and Fekry, N.A., 2024, Nitrate removal from wastewater by a novel co-biochar from guava seeds/beetroot peels-functionalized-Mg/Al double-layered hydroxide, Sep. Purif. Technol., 344, 127067.‏

[16] N’Dah, F.M., N'diaye, A.D., Ech-chihbi, E., Azzaoui, K., Sabbahi, R., Siaj, M., and Kankou, M., 2024, Kinetics and equilibrium study for the adsorption of Maxilon blue dye on Prosopis juliflora fruit seeds as a low-cost adsorbent, Moroccan J. Chem., 12 (3), 1042–1057.‏

[17] Jeevarathinam, M., and Asharani, I.V., 2024, Synthesis of CuO, ZnO nanoparticles, and CuO-ZnO nanocomposite for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B: A comparative study, Sci. Rep., 14 (1), 9718.‏

[18] Ullah, S., Aqsa Batool Bukhari, S., Nasir, H., Akhtar, T., Mahboob, S., and Zahid, M., 2024, Efficient photocatalytic degradation of profenofos by CuO-ZnO nanocomposite, J. Photochem. Photobiol., A, 455, 115787.‏

[19] Messai, R., Ferhat, M.F., Belmekki, B., Alam, M.W., Al-Othoum, M.A.S., and Sadaf, S., 2024, GAD plasma-assisted synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and their photocatalytic activity, Mater. Res. Express, 11 (1), 015006.‏

[20] Irwansyah, F.S., Amal, A.I., Diyanthi, E.W., Hadisantoso, E.P., Noviyanti, A.R., Eddy, D.R., and Risdiana, R., 2024, How to read and determine the specific surface area of inorganic materials using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, ASEAN J. Sci. Eng., 4 (1), 61–70.‏

[21] Yang, H., Zhao, Y., Guo, Y., Wu, B., Ying, Y., Sofer, Z., and Wang, S., 2024, Surfactant‐mediated crystalline structure evolution enabling the ultrafast green synthesis of bismuth‐MOF in aqueous condition, Small, 20 (15), 2307484.‏

[22] Hosseini, R., Sayadi, M.H., and Shekari, H., 2019, Adsorption of nickel and chromium from aqueous solutions using copper oxide nanoparticles: adsorption isotherms, kinetic modeling, and thermodynamic studies, Avicenna J. Environ. Health Eng., 6 (2), 66–74.‏

[23] Mahmoud, E.R.I., Aly, H.M., Hassan, N.A., Aljabri, A., Khan, A.L., and El-Labban, H.F., 2024, Biochar from date palm waste via two-step pyrolysis: A modified approach for Cu(II) removal from aqueous solutions, Processes, 12 (6), 1189.‏

[24] Tenea, A.G., Dinu, C., Rus, P.A., Ionescu, I.A., Gheorghe, S., Iancu, V.I., Vasile, G.G., Pascu, L.F., and Chiriac, F.L., 2024, Exploring adsorption dynamics of heavy metals onto varied commercial microplastic substrates: Isothermal models and kinetics analysis, Heliyon, 10 (15), e35364.‏

[25] Meena, A.K., Kadirvelu, K., Mishra, G.K., Rajagopal, C., and Nagar, P.N., 2008, Adsorptive removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution by treated sawdust (Acacia arabica), J. Hazard. Mater., 150 (3), 604–611.‏

[26] El Bourachdi, S., El Ouadrhiri, F., Moussaoui, F., Saleh, E.A.M., El Amri, A., Althomali, R.H., Kassem, A.F., Moharam, M.M., Ayub, A.R., Husain, K., Hassan, I., and Lahkimi, A., 2024 Enhancing graphene oxide production and its efficacy in adsorbing crystal violet: An in‐depth study of thermodynamics, kinetics, and DFT analysis, Int. J. Chem. Eng., 2024 (1), 8222314.‏

[27] Bathula, C., Nissimagoudar, A.S., Kumar, S., Jana, A., Sekar, S., Lee, S., and Kim, H.S., 2024, Enhanced photodegradation of methylene blue by Zr-doped TiO₂: A combined DFT and experimental investigation, Inorg. Chem. Commun., 164, 112442.‏

[28] Abdul Sattar, O.D., Mohd Khalid, R., and Yusoff, S.F.M., 2024, Optimizing methylene blue dye adsorption onto liquid natural rubber-based hydrogel: kinetics, isotherms and reusability, Sains Malays., 53 (5), 1149–1166.‏

[29] Fathi, A.G., Abdelrahman, E.A., Abou-Krisha, M.M., Shah, R.K., Saad, F.A., and El Rayes, S.M., 2025, Facile Synthesis of novel nanocomposite consists of β-FeOOH, chitosan, and salicylaldehyde for efficient removal of Zn(II) ions from aqueous media, J. Inorg. Organomet. Polym. Mater., s10904-025-03653-3.‏

[30] Aguilar, N., Rozas, S., Escamilla, E., Rumbo, C., Martel, S., Barros, R., Marcos, P.A., Bol, A., and Aparicio, S., 2024, Theoretical multiscale study on the properties, aqueous solution behavior and biological impact of zinc oxide nanoparticles, Surf. Interfaces, 46, 103965.‏

[31] Kataria, N., and Garg, V.K., 2018, Optimization of Pb(II) and Cd(II) adsorption onto ZnO nanoflowers using central composite design: isotherms and kinetics modelling, J. Mol. Liq., 271, 228–239.‏

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/ijc.104802