Polyvinyl Alcohol Assisted Iron–Zinc Nanocomposite for Enhanced Optimized Rapid Removal of Malachite Green Dye

Abstract

Eliminating hazardous contaminants is a necessity for maintaining a healthy environment on Earth. This work used a sustainable method to create Iron–Zinc nanocomposites with polyvinyl alcohol assistance. Mentha Piperita (mint leaf) extract was used as a reductant in the green synthesis of bimetallic nanocomposites. Doping with Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) caused a reduction in crystallite size and greater lattice parameters. XRD, FTIR, EDS, and SEM techniques were used to establish their surface morphology and structural characterization. The high-performance nanocomposites were used to remove malachite green (MG) dye using the ultrasonic adsorption technique. Adsorption experiments were designed by central composite design and optimized by response surface methodology. According to this study, 77.87% of the dye was removed at the optimum optimized parameters (10.0 mg L−1 was the concentration of MG dye at a time of 8.0 min, pH 9.0, and 0.02 g of adsorbent amount) with adsorption capacity up to 92.59 mg·g−1. The dye adsorption followed Freundlich’s isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Thermodynamic analysis affirmed the spontaneous nature of adsorption due to negative ΔGo values. As a result, the suggested approach offers a framework for creating an effective and affordable technique to remove the dye from a simulated wastewater system for environmental conservation.