Removal of Ni(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) from a ternary aqueous solution by amino functionalized mesoporous and nano mesoporous silica

In the present study, the application for the removal of Ni(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution by using mesoporous silica materials, namely, MCM-41, nanoparticle of MCM-41, NH₂-MCM-41 (amino functionalized MCM-41) and nano NH₂-MCM-41 was investigated. Suitable adsorbents preparation techniques were developed in the laboratory. The effects of the solution pH, metal ion concentrations, adsorbent dosages, and contact time were studied. It was found that NH₂-MCM-41 showed the highest uptake for metal ions in aqueous solution. The results indicated that the adsorption of Ni(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions on the surface of the adsorbent was increased with increasing solution pH. The experimental data were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich equations. Correlation coefficients were determined by analyzing each isotherm. It was found that the Langmuir equation showed better correlation with the experimental data than the Freundlich. According to the parameters of the Langmuir isotherm, the maximum adsorption capacity of NH₂-MCM-41 for Ni(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) was found to be 12.36, 18.25 and 57.74 mg/g, respectively. The kinetic data of adsorption reactions and the evaluation of adsorption equilibrium parameters were described by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order equations. The synthesized solid sorbents were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nitrogen sorption measurements.     

Adsorption of Cu(II) from Aqueous Solution by Porous Mn3[Co(CN)6]2 · nH2O Nanospheres

Prussian blue analogue of porous Mn₃[Co(CN)₆]₂ · nH₂O nanospheres with a large surface area were prepared by simple mixing K₃[Co(CN)₆]₂ and manganous nitrate solution at room temperature. The morphology and structure of the prepared products were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, and BET. The results indicated that the product was composed of nanospheres with the diameter of ～250 nm, which was of porous structure with the pore diameter in the 2.5–4 nm range. The adsorption behavior of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution onto porous nanospheres was investigated as a function of parameters, such as the equilibrium time, the pH, the initial concentration, and the temperature. A maximum adsorption capacity of 140.85 mg g^?1 of Cu(II) was achieved. Due to the simple synthetic method and its high adsorption capacity, the porous nanospheres had the potential to be utilized as an effective adsorbent for Cu(II) removal.     

Rapid Adsorption of Heavy Metals by Fe3O4/Talc Nanocomposite and Optimization Study Using Response Surface Methodology

Fe₃O₄/talc nanocomposite was used for removal of Cu(II), Ni(II), and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Experiments were designed by response surface methodology (RSM) and a quadratic model was used to predict the variables. The adsorption parameters such as adsorbent dosage, removal time, and initial ion concentration were used as the independent variables and their effects on heavy metal ion removal were investigated. Analysis of variance was incorporated to judge the adequacy of the models. Optimal conditions with initial heavy metal ion concentration of 100, 92 and 270 mg/L, 120 s of removal time and 0.12 g of adsorbent amount resulted in 72.15%, 50.23%, and 91.35% removal efficiency for Cu(II), Ni(II), and Pb(II), respectively. The predictions of the model were in good agreement with experimental results and the Fe₃O₄/talc nanocomposite was successfully used to remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions.     

Preparation of amidoximated polyester fiber and competitive adsorption of some heavy metal ions from aqueous solution onto this fiber

In this study, a fibrous adsorbent containing amidoxime groups was prepared by graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers using benzoyl peroxide (Bz₂O₂) as initiator in aqueous solution, and subsequent chemical modification of cyano groups by reaction with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in methanol. The grafted and modified fibers were characterized by FTIR, TGA, SEM, and XRD analysis. The crystallinity increased, but thermal stability decreased with grafting and amidoximation. The removal of Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) ions from aqueous solution onto chelating fibers were studied using batch adsorption method. These properties were investigated under competitive conditions. The effects of the pH, contact time, and initial ion concentration on the removal percentage of ions were studied. The results show that the adsorption rate of metal ions followed the given order Co(II) > Pb(II) > Cd(II) > Ni(II) > Cu(II). The percentage removal of ions increased with initial ion concentration, shaking time, and pH of the medium. Total metal ion removal capacity was 49.75 mg/g fiber on amidoximated fiber. It was observed that amidoximated fibers can be regenerated by acid without losing their activity, and it is more selective for Pb(II) ions in the mixed solution of Pb‐Cu‐Ni–Co‐Cd at pH 4. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Batch Removal of Crystal Violet from Aqueous Solution by H2SO4 Modified Sugarcane Bagasse: Equilibrium,Kinetic, and Thermodynamic Profile

Batch adsorption studies were carried out using H₂SO₄ modified sugarcane bagasse (HMSB) for the removal of hazardous Crystal Violet (CV) dye from aqueous solutions. The effects of initial solution pH, adsorbent dose, and temperature on the adsorption process were investigated. The Langmuir isotherm model well described the equilibrium dye uptake while the pseudo-second-order kinetic model showed good agreement with the experimental kinetic data. Gibb's free energy change (ΔG⁰) was spontaneous for all interactions, and the adsorption process exhibited endothermic enthalpy values. Results suggest that HMSB is an effective adsorbent for the removal of CV from wastewater.     

Adsorption behavior of Cd(II) ions on humic acid-immobilized sodium alginate and hydroxyl ethyl cellulose blending porous composite membrane adsorbent

A novel porous composite adsorbent was prepared by using sodium alginate and hydroxyl ethyl cellulose blending as an immobilization matrix for humic acid, then crosslinked by glutaraldehyde. The adsorbent was prepared using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as porogen and used to remove Cd(II) ions from aqueous solution. The physico-chemistry properties of adsorbent before and after adsorption were investigated by FT-IR, SEM and EDX methods. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of the amount of PEG adding to the adsorbent, solution pH, dosage of adsorbent, initial Cd(II) ions concentration and contact time. The prepared adsorbent exhibited the maximum uptake of 148.9 mg/g under the optimal adsorption condition. Kinetics experiments indicated that the pseudo-first-order model displayed the best correlation with adsorption kinetics data. The Crank model showed that the intraparticle solute diffusion was the rate-controlling adsorption step. Besides, experimental data could be better described by the Freundlich isotherm model. Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm indicated that the adsorption was mainly an ion exchange process. The results suggested that the prepared adsorbent is promising for using as an effective and economical adsorbent for Cd(II) ions removal.     

Adsorptive removal of cationic dye from aqueous solutions by ZnO/ZnMn2O4 nanocomposite

The ZnO/ZnMn₂O₄ nanocomposite (ZnMn) was used as adsorbent for the removal of cationic dye Basic Yellow 28 (BY28) from aqueous solutions. The adsorbent was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, TEM, Fourier transform infrared ray, BET, particle size distribution and zeta potential measurements. The adsorption parameters, such as temperature, pH and initial dye concentration, were studied. Kinetic adsorption data were analyzed using the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to fit the equilibrium data. The maximum adsorption capacity of BY28 was 48.8 mg g^?1. Various thermodynamic parameters, such as ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS°, were calculated.     

Continuous preparation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles combined with surface modification by L-cysteine and their application in heavy metal adsorption

L-cysteine functionalized Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (Cys–Fe₃O₄ MNPs) were continuously fabricated by a simple high-gravity reactive precipitation method combined with surface modification through a novel impinging stream-rotating packed bed with the assistance of sonication. The obtained Cys–Fe₃O₄ MNPs was characterized by XRD, TEM, FTIR, TGA and VSM, and further used for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution. The influence of pH values, contact time and initial metal concentration on the adsorption efficiency were investigated. The results revealed that the adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) were pH dependent process, and the pH 6.0 was found to be optimum condition. Moreover, the adsorption kinetic for Cys–Fe₃O₄ MNPs followed the mechanism of the pseudo-second order kinetic model, and their equilibrium data were fitted with the Langmuir isothermal model well. The maximum adsorption capacities calculated from Langmuir equation were 183.5 and 64.35 mg g⁻¹ for Pb(II) and Cd(II) at pH 6.0, respectively. Furthermore, the adsorption and regeneration experiment showed there was about 10% loss in the adsorption capacity of the as-prepared Cys–Fe₃O₄ MNPs for heavy metal ions after 5 times reuse. All the above results provided a potential method for continuously preparing recyclable adsorbent applied in removing toxic metal ions from wastewater through the technology of process intensification.     

Facile preparation of magnetic chitosan modified with thiosemicarbazide for adsorption of copper ions from aqueous solution

In this study, magnetic chitosan modified with thiosemicarbazide (TSC‐Fe₃O₄/CTS) was facilely synthesized with glutaraldehyde as the crosslinker, and its application for removal of Cu(II) ions was investigated. The as‐prepared TSC‐Fe₃O₄/CTS was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that TSC‐Fe₃O₄/CTS has high adsorption capacity and selectivity towards Cu(II) ions. Adsorption experiments were carried out with different parameters such as pH, solution temperature, contact time and initial concentration of Cu(II) ions. The adsorption process was better described by the pseudo‐second‐order model. The sorption equilibrium data was fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model and the maximum adsorption capacity toward Cu(II) ions was 256.62 mg/g. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption process of Cu(II) ions was exothermic spontaneous reaction. Moreover, this adsorbent showed excellent reusability and the adsorption property remained stable after five cycles. This adsorbent is believed to be one of the promising and favorable adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44528.     

Synthesis and characterization of polyacrylamide‐grafted coconut coir pith having carboxylate functional group and adsorption ability for heavy metal ions

The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a new adsorbent prepared from coconut coir pith (CP), a coir industry‐based lignocellulosic residue in removing metal ions from aqueous solutions. The adsorbent (PGCP‐COOH) having a carboxylate functional group at the chain end was prepared by grafting polyacrylamide onto CP using potassium peroxydisulphate as an initiator and in the presence of N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinking agent. The adsorbent was characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetry (TG), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and potentiometric titration. The adsorbent exhibits very high adsorption potential for the removal of Pb(II), Hg(II), and Cd(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The optimum pH range for metal ion removal was found to be 6.0–8.0. The adsorption process follows a pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. The adsorption capacities for Hg(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) calculated using the Langmuir isotherm equation were 254.52, 189.49, and 63.72 mg g^?1, respectively. Adsorption isotherm experiments were also conducted for comparison with a commercial carboxylate form cation exchanger. Different industry wastewater samples were treated by the PGCP‐COOH to demonstrate its efficiency in removing heavy metals from wastewater. The reusability of the PGCP‐COOH was also demonstrated using 0.2M HCl. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 3670–3681, 2007     

Effect of nickel coating on carbon for adsorption of cadmium from aqueous solutions

Nickel was coated on carbon and it was characterized by SEM and XRD. Sorption of Cd(II) ions onto carbon and nickel‐coated carbon (Ni/C), effect of acids, pH, shaking time, loading capacity, and adsorbent weight has been investigated. Acids reduce sorption and maximum sorption takes place from deionized water and R_d values for carbon and Ni/C in deionized water are 212.9 ± 0.9 and 232.5 ± 2.5. The sorption data followed the Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R), isotherms and different parameters have been calculated. Sorption free energy values have been calculated and are 12.56 ± 0.19 and 14.84 ± 0.196 for carbon and Ni/C and indicate that adsorption process is chemisorption. Increase in adsorption shows the increase in catalytic activity of the adsorbent. The variation of sorption with temperature has been used to calculate the values of ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG for Cd(II) sorption. These values show that adsorption of Cd(II) ions on the adsorbents is endothermic, spontaneous, and entropy driven. Coating of carbon with nickel has improved its adsorption properties. Adsorption behaviour provides useful information for the catalytic activity of catalysts.     

The use of exhausted olive cake ash (EOCA) as a low cost adsorbent for the removal of toxic metal ions from aqueous solutions

The removal characteristics of cadmium (Cd(II)) and nickel (Ni(II)) ions from aqueous solution by exhausted olive cake ash (EOCA) were investigated under various conditions of contact time, pH, initial metal concentration and temperature. Batch kinetic studies showed that an equilibrium time of 2 h was required for the adsorption of Ni(II) and Cd(II) onto EOCA. Equilibrium adsorption is affected by the initial pH (pH₀) of the solution. The pH₀ 6.0 is found to be the optimum for the individual removal of Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions by EOCA. The adsorption test of applying EOCA into synthetic wastewater revealed that the adsorption data of this material for nickel and cadmium ions were better fitted to the Langmuir isotherm since the correlation coefficients for the Langmuir isotherm were higher than that for the Freundlich isotherm. The estimated maximum capacities of nickel and cadmium ions adsorbed by EOCA were 8.38 and 7.32 mg g⁻¹, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters for the adsorption process data were evaluated using Langmuir isotherm. The free energy change (ΔG°) and the enthalpy change (ΔH°) showed that the process was feasible and endothermic respectively. As the exhausted olive cake is discarded as waste from olive processing, the adsorbent derived from this material is expected to be an economical product for metal ion remediation from water and wastewater.     

Modification of Sodium Alginate for the Removal of Cd(II) from Aqueous Solutions

Sodium alginate was protonated using HCl in ethanol: H₂O mixture (30:70). The modified sodium alginate (MSA) was characterized by determination of carboxyl content and solubility percent. The modified sample acquires of 450 meq-COOH/100 g sample and exhibits the complete insolubility in water. The MSA was utilized as adsorbent material to remove Cd(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Factors affecting adsorption process, such as agitation time and adsorbent concentration and pH of the adsorbate, were examined. The adsorption data show that the maximum adsorption capacity, Q_max, of Cd(II) onto MSA is 769.23 mg/g. The adsorption data also showed that the adsorption of Cd(II) onto MSA obeys Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms.     

Adjusted pH for the Selective Separation of Cadmium from Lead by Nano-Active Silica-Functionalized-[Bmim+Tf2 N−] Ionic Liquid

A method is described for the selective separation and extraction of cadmium-lead from aqueous solutions by tuning the pH value between 1.0 and 7.0. A modified nano-active silica sorbent was loaded with 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide hydrophobic ionic liquid, [Bmim⁺Tf₂N^?] and used in this work. The pH value was found to play a significant role in the sorption capacity of Cd(II) and Pb(II). In pH 1.0, the metal capacity values were characterized as 1.40 and 0.30 mmol g^?1 for Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively. In pH 7.0, Cd(II) and Pb(II) switched their capacity values to 0.65 and 1.00 mmol g^?1, respectively. An anion exchange mechanism was proposed in solution with pH 1.0 for exchange of chloroanionic cadmium species by [Tf₂N^?]. The sorptive separation processes of Cd(II) and Pb(II) were studied and evaluated under the influence of various controlling factors. The potential applications of modified nano-silica sorbent for selective sorptive removal and separation of Cd(II) from Pb(II) in water samples was successfully accomplished by adjusting the pH value of the contact solution between 1.0 and 7.0. The results of this study indicated an efficient extraction behavior of the two examined metal ions.     

Removal of Cd（II） by Nanometer AIO（OH） Loaded on Fiberglass with Activated Carbon Fiber Felt as Carrier

A new nanometer material, nanometer AlO（OH） loaded on the fiberglass with activated carbon fibers felt（ACF） as the carrier, was prepared by hydrolytic reaction for the removal of Cd（II） from aqueous solution using column adsorption experiment. As was confirmed by XRD determination, the hydrolysis production loaded on fiberglass was similar to the orthorhombic phase AlO（OH）. SEM images showed that AlO（OH） particles were in the form of small aggregated clusters. The Thomas model was applied for estimating the kinetic parameters and the saturated adsorption ability of Cd（II） adsorption on the new adsorbent. The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity of Cd（II） was 128.50 mg·g^-1 and 117.86 mg·g^-1 for the adsorbent mass of 0.3289 g and the adsorbent mass of 0.2867 g, respectively. The elution experiment result indicated that the adsorbed Cd ions was easily desorbed from the material with 0.1 mol·L^-1 HCl solution. Adsorption-desorption cycles showed the feasibility of repealed uses of the composited material. The adsorption capacities were influenced by pH and the initial Cd（II） concentration. The amount adsorbed was greatest at pH 6.5 and the initial Cd（II） concentration of 0.07 mg·L^-1, respectively. Nanometer AlO（OH） played a major role in the adsorption process, whereas the fiberglass and ACF were assistants in the process of removing Cd（II）. In addition, the adsorption capacities for Cd（II） were obviously reduced from 128.50 mg·L^-1 to 64.28 mg·L^-1 when Pb ions were present because Pb ions took up more adsorption sites.     

A novel porous nanocomposite of aminated silica MCM‐41 and nylon‐6: Isotherm,kinetic, and thermodynamic studies on adsorption of Cu(II) and Cd(II)

Porous amine‐modified MCM‐41/Nylon‐6 nanocomposite (NH₂‐MCM‐41/NY6 NC) was synthesized by a facile solution casting protocol, which was used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous media. The physicochemical properties of NH₂‐MCM‐41/NY6 NC were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopies, thermogravimetric analysis, etc. The influence of pH, adsorbent dose, contact time and initial concentration on adsorption performance were investigated in detail. Kinetic and isotherm parameters were evaluated and the data fitted well to the pseudo‐second order and Freundlich isotherm model, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacities of Cu(II) and Cd(II) were about 35.84 and 27.5 mg·g^?1, respectively. The K_d of NH₂‐MCM‐41/NY6 NC for Cu(II) (> ) and Cd(II) (> ) ions uptake in aqueous solution, showed very good values. Thermodynamic parameters suggest that the adsorption is a spontaneous process with an endothermic nature. According to the results obtained, we conclude that this novel porous NH₂‐MCM‐41/NY6 NC could be used for the removal of heavy metal ions from an aqueous solution. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45383.     

Synthesis and application of nanocomposite Fe3O4@SiO2@CTAB–SiO2 as a novel adsorbent for removal of cyclophosphamide from water samples

ABSTRACT

We present a way of synthesizing nanocomposite Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@CTAB–SiO₂ by employing simple sol–gel technique with selective etching for extreme selectivity adsorption of cyclophosphamide (CP). The transmission electron microscopy (TEM); scanning electron microscopy (SEM); X-ray diffraction (XRD); Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR); vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM); pH_PZC; and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) techniques were used for nanocomposite characterization. These nanoparticles have an S_BET of 157.8 m² g^?1 and a high saturation magnetization of 67.5 emu g^?1. First, the adsorption system was examined as a function of contact time under various initial CP contents, ionic strength, initial solution pH, adsorbent dose and temperature in batch test. The optimum dose, pH and contact time were obtained to be 0.01 g, 7.0 and 30 min, respectively. Ultimately, experimental isotherm and kinetics data of adsorption of CP onto nanocomposite Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@CTAB–SiO₂ were fitted to classical models. Additionally, it was found that the maximum adsorption process capacity of CP on adsorbent was 342.8 mg g^?1.     

Mechanically activated starch magnetic microspheres for Cd(Ⅱ) adsorption from aqueous solution

Magnetic starch microspheres(AAM-MSM) were synthesized via an inverse emulsion graft copolymerization by using mechanically activated cassava starch(MS) as a crude material, acrylic acid(AA) and acrylamide(AM) as graft copolymer monomers, and methyl methacrylate(MMA) as the dispersing agent and used as an adsorbent for the removal of Cd(II) ions from aqueous solution. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and vibrating sample magnetometry(VSM) were used to characterize the AAM-MSM adsorbent. The results indicated that AA, AM, and MMA were grafted to the MS, and the Fe_3 O_4 nanoparticles were encapsulated in the AAM-MSM adsorbent microspheres.The adsorbent exhibited a smooth surface, uniform size, and good sphericity because of the addition of the MMA and provided more adsorption sites for the Cd(II) ions. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cd(II) on the AAM-MSM was 39.98 mg·g~(-1). The adsorbents were superparamagnetic, and the saturation magnetization was 16.7 A·m~2·kg~(-1). Additionally, the adsorption isotherms and kinetics of the adsorption process were further investigated. The process of Cd(II) ions adsorbed onto the AAM-MSM could be described more favorably by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isothermal adsorption models, which suggested that the chemical reaction process dominated the adsorption process for the Cd(II) and chemisorption was the rate-controlling step during the Cd(II) removal process.     

Fabrication and Characterization of SiO2/(3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane-Coated Magnetite Nanoparticles for Lead(II) Removal from Aqueous Solution

A novel nano-adsorbent SiO₂/(3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane-coated magnetite nanoparticles was synthesized for the adsorption of lead ions from water samples. Its structure and magnetic characteristics were characterized, by FTIR, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Amino-functionalized SiO₂ coated Fe₃O₄ magnetite nano-adsorbent exhibited superparamagnetic behavior and strong magnetization at room temperature. The efficiency of the nano-adsorbent in separation of the metals was evaluated by adsorption technique. Kinetic data were analyzed using the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order equations. The data fitted very well to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.The linear Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to describe equilibrium isotherms and Langmuir model fitted well. The monolayer adsorption capacity was found as 17.65 mg/g at pH 4.0. Thermodynamic parameters such as free energy change (ΔG°), enthalpy change (ΔH°) and entropy change (ΔS°) were also calculated. These parameters showed that the adsorption of Pb(II) onto nano-adsorbent was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic. The amino-functionalized SiO₂ coated Fe₃O₄ magnetic nano-adsorbent shows high adsorption capability for metal ions from aqueous solutions via the chelation mechanisms. The Pb(II) loaded nano-adsorbent can be easily recovered from aqueous solution with magnetic separation and regenerated readily by acid treatment. The product of this work can be used as an effective and recyclable nano-adsorbent for the removal of metal ions in wastewater treatment.     

Adsorptive removal of alizarin dye from wastewater using maghemite nanoadsorbents

ABSTRACT

This is an investigation of the adsorptive removal of anthraquinone dyes, resembled by Alizarin, by utilizing maghemite iron oxide (γ-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles in aqueous media. The adsorption process was affected by several parameters such as solution pH, adsorbent amount, contact time, and temperature. After optimizing the parameters affecting the adsorption, the process was successful in removing Alizarin dye with an efficiency exceeding 95%. Best adsorption results were achieved at a pH of 11 and contact time of 60 min. The adsorption was shown to follow the Langmuir model suggesting a monolayer and homogeneous coverage. The maximum adsorption capacity (q_m ) was found to be 23.2 mg/g at pH = 11. A thermodynamic study showed that the adsorption process is exothermic and spontaneous at room temperature. The Gibbs free energy of adsorption (-6.79 kJ/mol) obtained in this study suggests a physisorption process. This finding has facilitated the regeneration of the Fe₂O₃ nanocatalyst. Both NaOH and HNO₃ at dilute levels were tested for the regeneration of the nanocatalyst. Regeneration with HNO₃ was successful up to four successive removal cycles with an efficiency >80%. Photodegradation experiments utilizing a UV light were also successful in maximizing the adsorption removal efficiency. A sorption mechanism based on the results obtained in this work is also proposed.