Paracetamol removal by bimetallic zero-valent Fe/Cu with benjamina leaf extract

A green synthesis approach using Ficus benjamina leaf extract was successfully used for preparing bimetallic zero-valent iron (Fe)/copper (Cu) nanoparticles. The F. benjamina nano-zero-valent iron/copper (FB-nZVFe/Cu) was characterised by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The characterisation showed that bimetallic nanoparticles had been synthesized. The removal efficiency at a concentration of 10 mg/I reached 86% under the following conditions: dose of 0.5 g/l, time of 45 min and pH of 5. FB-nZVFe/Cu had good durability and stability and possessed excellent reusability for removal of paracetamol (C15H12N2O) even after being reused five times. The results were analysed according to the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. The adsorption data agree more with the Langmuir model (R-2 = 0.9989), with q(max) = 16.49 mg/g. The results of adsorption kinetics indicate that paracetamol uptake on FB-nZVFe/Cu follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Overall, FB-nZVFe/Cu is a favourable green material for removal of paracetamol from aqueous solutions. The effect of varying the functional parameters was investigated using linear regression analysis; they were found to account for more than 98% of the variables affecting the removal procedure.