Usefulness of charge-transfer interaction between urea and vacant orbital acceptors to generate novel adsorbent material for the adsorption of pesticides from irrigation water

In this study, the beneficiation of the charge-transfer (CT) interaction between urea and two vacant orbital acceptors (such as iron and ruthenium chlorides [FeCl3 and RuCl3, respectively]) to generate a novel adsorbent material for the adsorption of pesticides from irrigation water is reported. First, biomass-derived-carbon was obtained from consumed tea leaf waste after which then it was chemically activated by potassium hydroxide (KOH). Second, urea as a donor was reacted with two vacant orbital acceptors (FeCl3 and RuCl3); this donor-acceptor interaction yielded a RuFe2O5 composite. The resulting composite was combined with the activated carbon (AC) material by crushing the two components in a 1:10 M ratio (RuFe2O5 composite to AC material). This process generated a solid, black, homogenous RuFe2O5-AC adsorbent material, which was tested to remove four common pesticides from irrigation water. The examined pesticides were two insecticides (Acochem 25% WP and Hi Power), one herbicide (Tiller 480SL), and one fungicide (Mancosil Plus 50% WP). The effects of several variables on the adsorption performance of the synthesized adsorbent material were also examined. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study reports the generation of a novel adsorbent material for pesticide removal from irrigation water by utilizing the charge-transfer interaction between urea and iron and ruthenium chlorides. The RuFe2O5-AC adsorbent material, obtained by combining RuFe2O5 composite with activated carbon, showed efficient removal of four common pesticides. The effects of various variables on the adsorption performance of the synthesized adsorbent material were also investigated.