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Green Synthesis of Nanochitosan/Bentonite/SnO2–ZnO Bionanocomposite for Removal of Heavy Metal Ions and Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dye

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Abstract

Biotreatment of wastewater has attracted considerable attention due to its low cost and eco-friendliness. This study developed a novel bionanocomposite comprised of Nanochitosan (NCS), Bentonite (Bt), and SnO2–ZnO nanocomposite prepared using Salvia officinalis extract as a reducing/stabilizing agent. The NCS/Bt/SnO2–ZnO bionanocomposite exhibited a rough surface with porous nature. EDX, XRD, and FTIR results confirmed the formation of the bionanocomposite. TGA indicated high thermal stability of the NCS/Bt/SnO2–ZnO. DRS results revealed that the bionanocomposite had a band gap of 2.60 eV. The surface area of NCS/Bt/SnO2–ZnO was found to be 32.54 m2 g−1 with a 17.98 nm pore size. Adsorption of Fe(III) and Pb(II) ions and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye using this bionanocomposite were studied. Under optimal conditions, the highest removal of Fe(III) (99.5%) and Pb(II) (91.5%) was achieved after 5 min and 40 min, respectively. The adsorption data fitted the Langmuir isotherm and indicated the removal capacity of 555.55 and 243.90 mgg−1 for Fe(III) and Pb(II), respectively. Also, the NCS/Bt/SnO2–ZnO showed the MB dye degradation efficiency of 99% within 30 min. Therefore, the NCS/Bt/SnO2–ZnO can be used as an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, thermally stable, and high-performance adsorbent/photocatalyst to remove heavy metal ions and dye molecules.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support of this work by University of Torbat-e Jam, Torbat-e Jam, Iran.

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Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation, Visualization, Validation, Writing- Reviewing and Editing: S.H.; Investigation: M.M.

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Correspondence to Somayeh Heydari.

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Heydari, S., Moradi, M. Green Synthesis of Nanochitosan/Bentonite/SnO2–ZnO Bionanocomposite for Removal of Heavy Metal Ions and Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dye. J Polym Environ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-023-03178-1

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