ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Efficacy assessment of Fe-based Moringa oleifera nanoparticles for dye-contaminated wastewater treatment: synthesis, characterization, and process optimization

Jitesh B. Joshi and Nitin Kumar Singh

Chemical Engineering Department, Marwadi University, Rajkot, India

E-mail: nitinkumar.singh@marwadieducation.edu.in

Received: 19 April 2024  Accepted: 19 March 2025

Abstract:

Industrial sustainability in both developing and developed nations hinges on effectively addressing environmental challenges, such as water pollution and resource scarcity. The water-intensive industries, particularly textile and dye bearing sectors, face increasing pressure to treat their effluents not only to comply with stringent discharge standards but also to achieve zero liquid discharge. In this study, the Fe-based nanoparticles (MOS-Fe-NPs) were synthesized using Moringa oleifera seed extract. Characterization techniques, including point of zero charge (pH_zpc), UV–Visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction analysis, confirmed the successful synthesis of MOS-Fe-NPs. The batch experiments were conducted with methyl blue dye bearing synthetic wastewater to optimize the process conditions, determining the pH of ~ 12, dosage of 70 g/L, and contact time of 60 min for efficient pollutant removal. Further investigations with actual textile industry wastewater at optimized process conditions revealed the removal efficiencies of 53.78%, 53.26%, 39.74%, 14.90%, 22.56%, and 22.44% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chlorides, ammonical nitrogen, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), respectively. The recyclability experiments showed that MOS-Fe-NPs retained moderate reusability, with COD and BOD removal efficiencies decreasing to 37% and 36%, respectively, in the second cycle, while chloride removal remained unaffected. Overall, the study demonstrated that synthesized MOS-Fe-NPs have significant potential for treating dye bearing wastewater.

Keywords: Nanomaterial; Nanoparticle Synthesis; Organic-inorganic Nanostructures; Photocatalysis; Pollution Remediation; Water Treatment; Moringa Oleifera; Nanoparticles; MOS-Fe-NPs; Adsorbent; Characterization; Dye removal

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04027-2

Chemical Papers 79 (6) 3725–3737 (2025)