Characterization and evaluation of immobilized bimetallic and trimetallic nanoparticles fabricated using grape leaf extract and glass waste for cefixime removal

Abstract

Maintaining a clean and pollutant-free environment is an important issue for all living organisms, including humans, through the adoption of eco-friendly technologies that minimize ecological harm while enhancing sustainability. The present study was directed towards applying a green and eco-friendly approach in nanotechnology to develop sustainable solutions for pollution control and environmental remediation. The immobilization of bimetallic (Fe/Cd) and trimetallic (Fe/Cd/Cu) nanoparticles utilizing glass waste (G) as an inert support material was investigated in this work to produce two nanocomposites (G-Fe/Cd & G-Fe/Cd/Cu, were employed to eliminate cefixime (CEF) from aqueous solutions. The grape leaf extract was used as a green antioxidant instead of harmful chemicals. Compared to the bimetallic nanocomposite, which showed a 26.23 mg/g capacity under optimal circumstances, the trimetallic nanocomposite had exceptional adsorption capability and a maximum CEF adsorption capacity of 32.51 mg/g. The adsorption kinetics were best characterized by the pseudo-second-order model, indicating chemisorption as the primary mechanism. The experimental adsorption data tightly matched the Freundlich isotherm model, showing a heterogeneous adsorption process. External mass transfer and intraparticle diffusion-controlled adsorption illustrate the efficiency and intricacy of the interaction processes. Negative magnitudes of ΔG° showed that the adsorption of CEF was spontaneous and thermodynamically beneficial; high ΔS° and ΔH° magnitudes indicated increasing randomness at the solid-liquid interface and an endothermic adsorption process. Moreover, copper's inclusion in the trimetallic system increases adsorption effectiveness by adding more reactive sites, thus enhancing surface characteristics and facilitating more efficient interaction with CEF molecules. This paper emphasizes the possibilities of nanocomposites as effective, sustainable, ecologically acceptable materials for eliminating antibiotic pollutants like CEF from aqueous solutions. These results provide important new perspectives for creating sophisticated adsorbents based on nanocomposites for wastewater treatment and environmental remediation.