Carbamazepine Removal from Aqueous Solution by Green Synthesis Zero-Valent Iron/Cu Nanoparticles with Ficus Benjamina Leaves' Extract

Green synthesis of nanoparticles is an eco-friendly treatment technique. Bimetallic nano zero-valent Fe/Cu was successfully prepared by green synthesis by Ficus Benjamina leaves (FB-ZVI/Cu). The nanoscale FB-ZVI/Cu was characterized by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The characterization revealed that synthesis and presence of iron-copper nanoparticles and biomolecules which could help in capping the bimetallic nanoparticles. Subsequently, nanoscale zero-valent Fe/Cu particles were used to remove carbamazepine from the aqueous medium under varying experimental conditions, including pH, initial carbamazepine concentration, Fe/CuNPs dose, stirring rate, and contact time. The removal efficiency of carbamazepine reached 95% under the condition of dose 0.4 g L-1, time 20 min, and pH 5. The results were analyzed according to the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. The adsorption data are more appropriate by the Langmuir adsorption model (R-2 = 0.998) with q(max) = 26.15 mg g(-1). Overall, FB-nZVFe/Cu is a promising green substance to remove carbamazepine from aqueous solutions. The effect of different operating parameters was investigated using linear regression analysis, they were found to account for more than 97% of the variables affecting the removal process.