Nanohybrid composite Fe2O3-ZrO2/BC for inhibiting the growth of bacteria and adsorptive removal of arsenic and dyes from water

The aim of the present study was to make effort to provide sustainable and affordable water purification technique for complete cleaning of polluted water. For this purpose, an economical organic-inorganic advance nanohybrid composite, binary iron-zirconium oxide decorated Black cumin seed, was prepared by following one step co-precipitation method. The prepared composite was used for inhibition of growth of bacterial cells, and remediation of arsenic, and dyes, from water. The nanohybrid composite was characterized by using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry etc. techniques. The composite has shown excellent antimicrobial activity towards Gram-negative bacteria strain, Escherichia coli, with 25 mm diameter of zone inhibition, and 0.030 mgmL(-1) minimum inhibitory concentration. The nanohybrid composite was investigated, in batch mode, for adsorption of arsenic and Methylene blue, from their aqueous solutions. The process was studied under the influence of adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, pH of solutions, contact time, and temperature. The Langmuir adsorption capacity of nanohybrid composite, for arsenic and Methylene blue, was found to be 1.01 and 38.10 mgg(-1), respectively. The enthalpy, entropy, and free energy changes, of the adsorption process, were found to be 0.20 kJmol(-1), -0.106 kJmol(-1)K(-1) and -7.147 kJmol(-1), respectively, for arsenic; and 0.065 kJmol(-1), -0.00023 kJmol(-1)K(-1), and -0.66 kJmol(-1), respectively, for Methylene blue, therefore, the adsorption of both arsenic and Methylene blue were spontaneous and endothermic. The processes followed pseudo-second order kinetics which indicated specific electrostatic and hydrogen bonding between nanohybrid composite and arsenic, and Methylene blue. Therefore, antimicrobial nanohybrid composite can be an affordable, sustainable material for the complete water purification, a material which is most sought-after in the current scenario. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.