High performance Zr-MnO2@reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for efficient and simultaneous remediation of arsenates As(V) from environmental water samples

Zirconium (Zr) decorated with manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanoparticles-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (RGO); (Zr-MnO2@RGO) tertiary nanocomposite was fabricated by a facile chemical route. The bi-functionality of the novel nanocomposite by Zr and MnO2 nanoparticles has greatly enhanced the efficiency and kinetics of its adsorptivity towards arsenic As(V). The physicochemical properties of the fabricated nanocomposite were characterized extensively by using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, TGA, HR-TEM, FT-IR, SEM, and EDX techniques. The effects of medium pH, mass dosage, kinetics, initial arsenate concentration were investigated via batch-adsorption experiments. Contact time study revealed that pseudo-second-order equation fitted well the kinetic data indicated a fast and feasible sorption process. The reusability and stability performance of the nanocomposite was evaluated and confirmed after five adsorption-desorption cycles. The efficacy of the potential novel nanocomposite towards the simultaneous removal of As(V) from industrial and groundwater samples has been examined.