Adsorptive Removal of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solutions by NiO/Activated Carbon/Polycarbonate Nanocomposite

The primary focus of this research was to develop a highly efficient nano adsorbent capable of effectively removing Methylene Blue (MB) as a pollutant from industrial effluents. To achieve this, a novel approach was adopted, utilizing nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles incorporated into an activated carbon/polycarbonate matrix (NiO/AC/PC). Various analytical techniques were employed to characterize the synthesized nanocomposite comprehensively, including FT-IR, SEM, EDS, TEM, and XRD. Furthermore, different factors that influence the adsorption process were investigated, such as the initial dye concentration, contact time, nanocomposite concentration, and pH parameters. The obtained data revealed that the optimal conditions for efficient MB removal were found to be an initial dye concentration of 5 mg/L, a contact time of 15 minutes, a nanocomposite concentration of 50 mg, and a pH of 6-10. In addition, the adsorption kinetics and equilibrium isotherms were examined to gain a deeper understanding of the adsorption process. The experimental data exhibited excellent agreement with the pseudo-second-order equation for adsorption kinetics and the Freundlich model for equilibrium isotherms, further validating the effectiveness of the nano adsorbent in removing MB from aqueous solutions.