Adsorption of Methyl Orange Dye Using Zinc Oxide-Manganese Oxide Nanocomposite Based on Active Alumina

In this research, zinc oxide-manganese oxide nanocomposite adsorbent based on active alumina was synthesized by heterogeneous precipitation method of urea homogeneous hydrolysis that is an applied and economical method. The effect of calcination temperature on morphology, formation of phase, type of formed bonds and the crystallite size of nano-composite were tested by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), analysis of gravimetric thermal (TGA) and fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). The effect of different weight ratios of zinc oxide and manganese oxide (alumina with constant wt%) on surface area, surface charge of nanocomposites and eventually adsorption of methyl orange anionic dye were investigated. The results indicated that the sample contains 35 wt.% of zinc oxide calcined at 400 °C, showed 96 % adsorption efficiency (within twenty minutes) for the methyl orange anionic dye. These can be attributed to the high surface area (88 m2/gr) and also active sites of the nanocomposite. Microscopic observations showed formation of nanoflakes on surfaces of active alumina particle.