Abstract
This study explores the synthesis of Zirconium Phosphate nanoparticles (ZrP NPs) supported on nano-sized reduced graphene oxide and investigates their efficacy as an adsorbent for removing organic pollutants like salicylic acid (SA). The organometallic-modified rGO/ZrP mixed nanocomposites was characterized using various methods, including elemental analysis, UV–vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, EDX, AFM etc. The nano-adsorbent exhibited strong potential to remove SA ions from aqueous solutions, with removal efficiencies reaching 86.4% for SA, respectively, at initial concentrations of 150 mg/dm3. Adsorption kinetics were studied using pseudo-first and pseudo-second order models, as well as Freundlich, Langmuir, and Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm models. The equilibrium adsorption data indicated a contact time of 35 minutes for maximum adsorption capacity at 150 C. The process was found to be spontaneous and endothermic, with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model providing a good fit.