article · Scientific Reports
A nanocomposite material made by impregnating polyurethane foam with zero-valent iron nanoparticles effectively removes hexavalent chromium from diverse water sources. Following material characterisation, removal conditions were optimised, establishing an ideal operating condition at pH 2 with a material dosage of 0.5 grams per litre. Under these conditions, the composite achieves a maximum adsorption capacity of 600.0 milligrams per gram for hexavalent chromium. Performance evaluations showed removal rates of 99.98 percent in tap water, 96.81 percent in industrial effluent, and 94.57 percent in treated sewage wastewater. The process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics and fits the Freundlich isotherm model. Additionally, testing across five adsorption and desorption cycles demonstrated that the material maintains its removal efficiency, indicating high reusability for continuous water treatment processes.
Hexavalent chromium is a dangerous water pollutant found in municipal sewage and industrial discharge. Developing an adsorbent that functions effectively across various real-world water sources, including tap water and industrial effluent, offers a practical method to clean contaminated water supplies. Demonstrating consistent removal performance over multiple reuse cycles also makes the treatment process far more resource-efficient and less wasteful.
This technology is targeted at water treatment applications, particularly for industrial wastewater processors and municipal sewage operators managing heavy metal contaminants. The work is applied research tested on real effluent samples in a laboratory setting. Commercial adoption will depend on scaling the fabrication of the impregnated foam, engineering practical filtration systems, and verifying performance across longer operating cycles.
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Abstract In this study, we developed a novel nanocomposite, polyurethane foam impregnated with zero-valent iron nanoparticles (PU@nZVI), for the effective removal of chromium(VI) from various water sources. The characterization of nanocomposite (PU@nZVI) was performed by XRD, SEM–EDS, TEM and FT-IR techniques. Using the response surface methodology, we optimized the removal conditions, achieving an optimal pH of 2 and a dose of 0.5 g/L. The PU@nZVI demonstrated an excellent maximum adsorption capacity of 600.0 mg/g for Cr 6+ . The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were best described by the pseudo-second-order model and the Freundlich isotherm, respectively. Significantly, the nanocomposite removed 99.98% of Cr 6+ from tap water, 96.81% from industrial effluent, and 94.57% from treated sewage wastewater. Furthermore, the PU@nZVI maintained its efficiency over five adsorption–desorption cycles, highlighting its reusability. These results suggest that the PU@nZVI nanocomposite is a highly efficient and sustainable option for chromium(VI) removal in water treatment applications.
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DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55803-1
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