Waste shrimp shell mediated Chitosan-Magnesium Oxide nanocomposite: Synthesis, characterization and exploitation towards acenaphthene removal from aqueous solution

Abstract

Keeping the sustainability concept in view, a green, biocompatible, eco-friendly, and advantageous nano-composite was fabricated by impregnation of chitosan derived from waste shrimp shells onto Magnesium oxide nanoparticle (MgO) for exploiting in acenaphthene (ACN) removal from wastewater resources. The tested nanocomposite showed a high potential for ACN adsorption at pH 5.5. The thermodynamic evaluations laid the spontaneity nature of the process (∆G ≤-25.93 kjmol−1) bearing a ∆H value of 12.701 kjmol−1 which shows a favorable physisorption phenomenon. Kinetic evaluations demonstrated that the studied adsorption system conforms to pseudo-first order model to a greater extent. Other kinetic evaluations (Dumwald–Wagne/ Boyd model) revealed the important role of film diffusion in such an adsorption system, especially in the initial stages of the process. The equilibrium scrutinization under isothermal conditions displayed that the process has proceeded via mono-layer adsorption with a qmax value of 116.88 mg/g (at 298 K), for which Langmuir model showed a high goodness-of-fit. Overall, the new green adsorbent was highly advantageous in removal of ACN, and hence it is worth to be checked for the possibility of removing similar contaminants from polluted agricultural wastewater resources.

Keywords

• Chitosan
• MgO/Chitosan, Poly-aromatic hydrocarbons
• Acenaphthene, Sorption, wastewater