Facile synthesis and application of manganese-zinc-cobalt hydrous oxides nanoparticles decorated biochar for decontamination of copper(II) from water

The present study evolved around the synthesis of trimetallic composite, manganese-zinc-cobalt hydrous oxides nanoparticles anchored biochar (MZCB) nanocomposite (NC) for decontamination of water and wastewater polluted with Cu(II) ions. The MZCB NC (27 nm) was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. Batch adsorption studies were performed and the influence of different adsorption parameters (contact time, reaction temperature, solution pH, adsorbent dose and initial adsorbate concentration) were examined. MZCB was found effective in removing (similar to 98%) of Cu(II) in 50 min at pH 5.0 while employing initial dose of 0.1 g and 300 mg.Cu(II).L-1. The adsorption experimental data was fitted to different adsorption isotherms and kinetic models which exhibited best-fit models to be the general order kinetic model and Redlich-Peterson adsorption model, respectively. The maximum uptake capacity of MZCB with respect to Cu(II) ions was found to be 312.58 mg.g(-1).