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A novel nanocomposite of aminated silica nanotube (MWCNT/Si/NH2) and its potential on adsorption of nitrite

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Abstract

Several parts of the world have been facing the problem of nitrite and nitrate contamination in ground and surface water. The acute toxicity of nitrite has been shown to be 10-fold higher than that of nitrate. In the present study, aminated silica carbon nanotube (ASCNT) was synthesised and tested for nitrite removal. The synergistic effects rendered by both amine and silica in ASCNT have significantly improved the nitrite removal efficiency. The IEP increased from 2.91 for pristine carbon nanotube (CNT) to 8.15 for ASCNT, and the surface area also increased from 178.86 to 548.21 m2 g−1. These properties have promoted ASCNT a novel adsorbent to remove nitrite. At optimum conditions of 700 ppm of nitrite concentration at pH 7 and 5 h of contact with 15 mg of adsorbent, the ASCNT achieved the maximal loading capacity of 396 mg/g (85% nitrite removal). The removal data of nitrite onto ASCNT fitted the Langmuir isotherm model better than the Freundlich isotherm model with the highest regression value of 0.98415, and also, the nonlinear analysis of kinetics data showed that the removal of nitrite followed pseudo-second-order kinetic. The positive values of both ΔS° and ΔH° suggested an endothermic reaction and an increase in randomness at the solid–liquid interface. The negative ΔG° values indicated a spontaneous adsorption process. The ASCNT was characterised using FESEM–EDX and FTIR, and the results obtained confirmed the removal of nitrite. Based on the findings, ASCNT can be considered as a novel and promising candidate for the removal of nitrite ions from wastewater.

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Acknowledgments

Wahid Ali Hamood Altowayti extends his gratitude to the Ministry of Higher Education of Yemen for the scholarship.

Funding

This study is financially supported by the Ministry of Education Malaysia under HICoE Research Grant 4J183 and FRGS 5F005, and the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia under UTM Signature Grant 07G71.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

    Wahid Ali Hamood Altowayti & Shafinaz Shahir

  2. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

    Hamzah Gamal Abdo Allozy

  3. Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre, School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

    Pei Sean Goh

  4. Division of Control and Mechatronics Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

    Mohd Amri Md. Yunus

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  1. Wahid Ali Hamood Altowayti
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  2. Hamzah Gamal Abdo Allozy
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  3. Shafinaz Shahir
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  4. Pei Sean Goh
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Correspondence to Wahid Ali Hamood Altowayti or Pei Sean Goh.

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Altowayti, W.A.H., Allozy, H., Shahir, S. et al. A novel nanocomposite of aminated silica nanotube (MWCNT/Si/NH2) and its potential on adsorption of nitrite. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 28737–28748 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06059-0

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