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Coal fly ash was functionalized and modified with graphene oxide and polyaniline (CFA/GO/PANI nanocomposite) through hydrothermal synthesis, which was used for remediation of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) ions. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of adsorbent dosage, pH, and contact time on the removal of Cr(VI). The ideal pH for this work was 2, and it was used for all other studies. The Cr(VI)-loaded spent adsorbent CFA/GO/PANI + Cr(VI) was reused as a photocatalyst for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA). The CFA/GO/PANI nanocomposite removed Cr(VI) ions rapidly. The adsorption process was best described by pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Freundlich isotherm model. The CFA/GO/PANI nanocomposite demonstrated a high adsorption capacity of 124.72 mg/g for Cr(VI) removal. In addition, the Cr(VI)-loaded spent adsorbent played a significant role in the photocatalytic degradation of BPA with 86% degradation. The reuse of the Cr(VI)-loaded spent adsorbent as a photocatalyst presents a new solution for the reduction of secondary waste from the adsorption process., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Silver nanoparticles decorated on an exfoliated graphitic carbon nitride/carbon sphere (AgNP/Eg-C 3 N 4 /CS) nanocomposites were synthesized by an adsorption method with a self-assembled process. These nanoparticles were characterized by different techniques like UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM), transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and ζ potential. AgNP/Eg-C 3 N 4 /CS nanocomposites showed a higher catalytic reduction activity for the conversion of Cr(VI) into Cr(III) with formic acid (FA) at 45 °C when compared to bulk graphitic carbon nitride (Bg-C 3 N 4 , Eg-C 3 N 4 , CS, and Eg-C 3 N 4 /CS). The kinetic rate constants were determined as a function of catalyst dosage, concentration of Cr(VI), pH, and temperature for the AgNP/Eg-C 3 N 4 /CS nanocomposite. This material showed higher reduction efficiency (98.5%, k = 0.0621 min -1 ) with turnover frequency (0.0158 min -1 ) for the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). It also showed great selectivity and high stability after six repeated cycles (98.5%). Further, the reusability of the Cr(III)-AgNP/Eg-C 3 N 4 /CS nanocomposite was also investigated for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation with various time intervals and it showed good degradation efficiency (α = 97.95%). From these results, the AgNP/Eg-C 3 N 4 /CS nanocomposite demonstrated higher catalytic activity, improved environmental friendliness, lower cost for the conversion of toxic Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in solutions, and also good reusability., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Coal fly ash was decorated with a graphene oxide-tungsten oxide nanorods nanocomposite (CFA/GO/WO 3 NRs nanocomposite) via a hydrothermal method and applied for the remediation of lead (Pb 2+ ions). The Pb 2+ ion-loaded spent adsorbent (CFA/GO/WO 3 NRs + Pb 2+ nanocomposite) was reused for the photodegradation of acetaminophen. CFA/GO/WO 3 NRs + Pb 2+ nanocomposite displayed rapid removal of Pb 2+ ions. Pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm model described the adsorption data. The adsorption capacity of the CFA/GO/WO 3 NRs nanocomposite was 41.51 mg/g for the removal of Pb 2+ ions. Additionally, the Pb 2+ ion-loaded spent adsorbent significantly influenced the degradation of acetaminophen by photocatalysis where 93% degradation was observed. It is worthy to note the reuse application of Pb 2+ ion-loaded spent adsorbent as a photocatalyst, which will significantly reduce the secondary waste obtained from conventional adsorption methods., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Living organisms are created by carbohydrate biopolymers such as chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginate and lignin. These carbohydrate biopolymers have been extensively used for environmental applications because they are bio-degradable, bio-compatible, non-toxic and inexpensive. Recently, carbohydrate biopolymers have been used to prepare different nanocomposite adsorbents for treatment of wastewater. These adsorbents explored the removal effectiveness of inorganic pollutants from aqueous solution. This review article discusses the synthesis and application of chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginate and lignin nanocomposites as adsorbents for heavy metals. Toxic metals can be efficiently absorbed by cross-linkers, distributed in aqueous solutions of divalent heavy metal ions to examine their polymer absorption capacity. These nanocomposites were used for the adsorption of highly toxic metals such as Cd 2+ , Pb 2+ and Zn 2+ in water. To make heavy metal ion uptake more effective, more functionalization has been implemented such as blending, grafting, or mixing with different nanomaterials with an extra functional group. The integration of the second part into the main polymer chain not only adds functionality but also increases mechanical efficiency, one of the core criteria for adsorbent recyclability. The remediation method of metal ions from wastewater is cheaper as long as the adsorbent is reused. Furthermore, they exhibited good performance for the reuse of spent adsorbents after adsorption-desorption processes including latent fingerprint detection with nanomaterials by using the powder dusting method. Chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginate and lignin based nanocomposites have demonstrated better adsorption activities due to great physical and chemical properties for the chelation of heavy metals such as Cd 2+ , Pb 2+ and Zn 2+ from water and also higher regeneration with various eluents after several desorption-adsorption cycles. In addition, reuse of the spent adsorbents in latent fingerprint detection with different nanomaterials is discussed. Finally, this review article makes recommendations for future studies in light of environmentally favourable and economical applications., Competing Interests: The authors report no declarations of interest., (© 2021 The Authors.)

In this study, the synthesis of nitrogen-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles with a cabbage like morphology (N-ZnONCBs) by a hydrothermal method using zinc acetate dihydrate as a precursor and hydrazine monohydrate as a nitrogen source is reported. N-ZnONCB were characterized using UV-visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Fourier Transmittance Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and EDX elemental mapping. N-ZnONCBs were tested for their photocatalytic capabilities in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV-light and visible light irradiation for about 0 to 80 minutes and 0 to 50 min respectively. The N-ZnONCB catalyst demonstrated improved photodegradation efficiency (98.6% and 96.2%) and kinetic degradation rates of MB ( k = -0.0579 min -1 and k = -0.0585 min -1 ) under UV light and visible light irradiation at different time intervals. The photodegradation study was also evaluated with different dosages of N-ZnONCB catalyst, different initial concentrations of MB and variation in the pH (3, 5, 9 and 11) of the solution of MB under UV light and visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation intermediate products were obtained by liquid chromatography mass spectra (LC-MS) and also complete mineralization was determined by using Total Organic Carbon (TOC) studies. This photocatalyst was also tested with 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) under visible light irradiation at different time intervals. Fluorescence and quenching studies were performed for the binding interaction between the N-ZnONCB catalyst and MB dye. A Zetasizer was used to find the charge and average size of the N-ZnONCB catalyst and also the charge of the N-ZnONCB catalyst before and after MB dye solution adsorption. The N-ZnONCB catalyst was also tested for its photostability and reusability with a percentage degradation rate of MB (93.2%) after 4 cycle experiments. These results have clearly demonstrated that the N-ZnONCB catalyst can be applied for the photocatalytic degradation of MB from wastewater samples., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

A simple and sensitive electrochemical method was developed to determine the concentration of Sudan I in chili powder based on silver nanoparticles decorated graphene oxide modified glassy carbon electrode (AgNPs@GO/GCE). The voltammetry behaviour of Sudan I on modified GCE was investigated in phosphate buffer medium (PBS) with various pH ranges and the electron transfer properties were studied. It is found that the AgNPs@GO/GCE can catalyse the reduction of azo group, -N=N- followed by electrochemical oxidation of (-)OH group present in Sudan I dye molecule. Quantitative detection of Sudan I present in food products was carried out by amperometry method in which reduction potential was fixed at -0.77 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The amperometry method showed an excellent performance with a sensitivity of 6.83 μA mM(-1) and a detection limit of 11.4 × 10(-7)ML(-1). A linear calibration graph was constructed in the ranging 3.90 × 10(-6) to 3.19 × 10(-5)ML(-1). The method was successfully applied for the determination of Sudan I in red chili powder samples., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)