Development of suitable magnetite–diatomite nanocomposite for Cd (II) adsorptive removal from wastewater

A magnetite-diatomite nanocomposite (MDM) adsorbent was synthesized using the co-precipitation method, wherein a magnetite precursor was intercalated into diatomite clay minerals sourced from the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) and magnetometry measurements were used to look into the structure and magnetic properties of the adsorbent. Batch experiments were conducted to study the remarkable Cd (II) adsorption capacity of MDM and the ease of separating the used adsorbent with a bar magnet. The most important adsorption parameters, namely, initial pH, adsorbent dose (g), initial (Cd (II) concentration (mg), and contact time (min), were optimized using Box-Behnken design (BBD). The MDM has shown exceptional Cd (II) removal under optimum conditions, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 31.4 mg/g from aqueous solution. According to the isotherm and kinetic studies, the Temkin and pseudo-second-order models respectively, offered the best fit for adsorption equilibrium when compared to the other models. The thermodynamic studies, under standard conditions revealed that, Cd (II) uptake is exothermic and spontaneous. The finding of this study confirms that the MDM adsorbent is easily reusable, extractable from the solution using an external magnet, and capable of recovering around 80 % of Cd (II) when HNO3 is used as a desorbing agent. The study demonstrates a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to remediate Cd (II) pollution in wastewater. Furthermore, the superior Cd (II) adsorption capacity, combined with the ease of separating using a bar magnet and high reusability, highlights the potential of this novel adsorbent as a sustainable and efficient solution for addressing Cd (II) contamination in various wastewater treatment applications.Thereby contributing significantly to advancements in the field of heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions.