Investigating the removal of xylene from water by ZnO nanoparticles as an adsorbent for petroleum

Considering the adverse environmental effects and irreparable damages of the chemicals in petroleum compounds, e.g. benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, to living organisms, the efficient removal of these pollutants have received much more attention to be improved through innovative methods for enhancing the efficiency and impact of removal processes. In this study, the removal of xylene from aqueous solution by modified zinc oxide nanoparticles was investigated. In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and modified by a four-stage method. The removal of xylene as a toxic petroleum hydrocarbon from aqueous solution by nanoparticles was evaluated. Batch experiments were conducted at room temperature to evaluate the optimum conditions such as the effect of pH, contact time and zinc oxide concentration. Findings: It was found that the optimum adsorption condition can be achieved at pH=6 and contact time of 25 min. Moreover, the percentage of xylene adsorption increased with the increase in concentration of modified zinc oxide nanoparticles. Discussion and conclusion: This study showed that the modified zinc oxide nanoparticles could be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of xylene from aqueous solution.