Novel recyclable (Xanthan gum/montmorillonite) bionanocomposite for the removal of Pb (II) from synthetic and industrial wastewater

In the present study, a novel biodegradable Xanthan gum/montmorillonite (XG/MMT) bionanocomposite has been successfully synthesized and was explored for the removal of Pb (II) from synthetic and industrial wastewater. SEM, TEM and FTIR techniques were employed for the characterization of (XG/MMT) bionanocomposite. The effects of several parameters such as pH, contact time and initial metal ion concentration were analyzed. The experimental data was investigated using equilibrium isotherm and kinetic models. The result showed that the pseudo-second order and Freundlich were the best fitted models for the adsorption process. Thermodynamic study illustrates that the adsorption was endothermic and spontaneous in nature. Finally, the worthy regenerative efficacy (up to five cycles) using 0.05M HCl of bionanocomposite proved as economically promising adsorbent for practical applications. Therefore, the findings suggests that the present (XG/MMT) bionanocomposite can be utilized as a potential and novel adsorbent for the removal of toxic heavy metal from wastewater. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.