PhD Dissertation in the Department of Chemistry Demonstrates the Preparation and Characterization of Adsorptive Nanomaterials for Treating Polluted Water Using Green Chemistry Methods

A PhD dissertation in the Department of Chemistry at the College of Education for Pure Sciences – University of Samarra, entitled “Preparation and Characterization of Adsorptive Nanomaterials for the Treatment of Polluted Water Using Green Chemistry Methods: A Kinetic and Thermodynamic Study,” was presented by the researcher (Jwan Abdulwahid Alawi).

The study aimed to prepare and characterize a new adsorbent material, activated carbon (AC), derived from a mixture of wormwood leaves and acacia seed pods in specific ratios. The activated carbon was characterized using multiple techniques, including (FT-IR, AFM, SEM, BET, XRD, and EDX). In addition, the pseudo-second-order equation was applied to describe the adsorption of both dyes onto the surface of the activated carbon. The results showed that the adsorption of each dye followed the pseudo-second-order model, based on the high correlation coefficients of 0.9466 and 0.9755, respectively, at room temperature.

The results also revealed that FT-IR analysis indicated that the surface of the activated carbon was chemically inert and lacked functional groups. Moreover, EDX results showed a high carbon content. The synthesized nano-activated carbon demonstrated a high adsorption capacity for the studied dyes, confirming its effectiveness as a promising, eco-friendly, and low-cost adsorbent. Adsorption equilibrium for methyl orange dye on the activated carbon surface was reached within 40 minutes at an optimal concentration of 8 ppm.

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