Green synthesis of magnesium oxide nanoflower and its application for the removal of divalent metallic species from synthetic wastewater

Present manuscript deals with the green synthesis of magnesium oxide nanoflower by using bio-compatible acacia gum. MgO nanoparticles were synthesized by the chemical precipitation method and then treated with two different concentrations (10% and 20%) of acacia gum (AG) to develop flower shaped MgO nanoparticles. Magnesium oxide nanoflower was characterized by various techniques such as XRD, TEM, SEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM). XRD confirms the formation of crystalline MgO. TEM analysis demonstrated that particle size of acacia gum treated MgO nanoparticles was higher in comparison to untreated n-MGO particles which confirm coating of acacia gum on bare n-MgO. AFM also supports the formation of nanosized particles. Synthesized samples were then used as adsorbent material for the abatement of divalent metallic ions viz. Co(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Pb(II) and Ni(II) from synthetic wastewater. Magnesium oxide nanoflower was found to be very efficient in the removal of all selected divalent metallic species. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.