Ammonia Removal from Wastewater Using ZnO-Modified Ceratophyllum as a Low-Cost Eco-Friendly Biosorbent

Abstract

The results of its detrimental effects on water quality and toxicity to aquatic life, as well as ammonia contamination in wastewater, indicated that noticeable environmental risk. Moreover, there was another important factor in this field are conventional treatment techniques lead to pollution and operative budget. It is important to produce a balance between the low-cost treatment and keeping the sustainability and efficiency in the environmentally friendly adsorbents. Here, in this current work, an efforts were conducted to investigate an eco-friendly bio sorbent for ammonia extraction, that is depends on Ceratophyllum and is modified with zinc oxide (ZnO). To do the creation of adsorbent, ZnO nanoparticles have been impregnated into dried Ceratophyllum powder. The evaluation of the results was conducted by utilising scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). To measure the influence of temperature, stirring speed, pH, and contact time on removal efficiency, batch adsorption tests were carried out. SEM, BET, FTIR, and XRD investigations verified the ZnO-modified Ceratophyllum's enlarged surface roughness, better porosity, and the emergence of Zn–O functional groups. The bio sorbent demonstrated a notable enhancement over the raw material, attaining an 82% removal efficiency for ammonia under optimal conditions (pH = 8, contact duration = 60 min, stirring speed = 200 rpm, and ambient temperature = 25 °C). The results showed that zinc oxide-modified Ceratophyllum is a cheap, environmentally friendly, and highly effective absorbent for large-scale wastewater treatment, providing a sustainable alternate to traditional technologies.