Design, synthesis and application of a sponge-like nanocomposite ceramic for the treatment of Ni(II) and Co(II) wastewater in the zinc ingot industry

Abstract

In this study, a sponge-like nanocomposite ceramic was made of clay, bovine bone nano-powder, and human hair; to remove Ni(II) and Co(II) ions from synthetic and industrial wastewaters. The structure of sponge-like nanocomposite ceramic was investigated with XRD (Hexagonal structural type of hydroxyapatite) and functional groups were identified using FT-IR (Hydroxyl @ 3573 cm-1 and Phosphate @ 1045 cm-1). The specific surface and morphology of the ceramic-based on BET (172.46 m2g-1) and FE-SEM (Nano-hydroxyapatite: 100 nm), respectively showed that the use of human hair creates good porosity. The process was optimized at pH 6, temperature 40 ℃, adsorbent mass 17 g, initial concentration iofns 233 mg L−1, and retention time 178 min. Kinetic models, thermodynamic parameters and, isotherm models were applied to describe the adsorption equilibrium data. The Ni(II) and Co(II) adsorption efficiency, from industrial wastewaters, were more than 95%. The adsorbents could be regenerated and reused for up to 60 consecutive cycles.