Facile synthesis and characterization of polypyrrole - iron oxide – seaweed (PPy-Fe3O4-SW) nanocomposite and its exploration for adsorptive removal of Pb(II) from heavy metal bearing water

Lead is a widely used heavy metal which is highly toxic to kidney, nervous system and reproductive system. A special featured polypyrrole based adsorbent, with admirable salinity confrontation, environmental stability and reusability, was engaged to remove lead ions from aqueous solution. The advantages of using polypyrrole based adsorbent for heavy metal removal are: ease of synthesis, biocompatibility and high metal selectivity. In this study, polypyrrole - iron oxide - seaweed nanocomposite was proposed to remove lead ions from aqueous solution. A new method was adopted for the synthesis of polypyrrole - iron oxide - seaweed nanocomposite. The nanocomposite was prepared within a short time using ultra-assisted polymerization technique. The synthesized nanocomposite adsorbent was characterized using FTIR, SEM, TEM, EDS, XRD, XPS and zeta potential analysis. The adsorption capability of polypyrrole - iron oxide - seaweed nanocomposite towards lead was explored. The influence of pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, metal ion concentration and recyclability were investigated. The optimum condition of these parameters was found to be: pH- 5, temperature - 40 °C, initial concentration – 100 mg/L and contact time - 20 min and the results showed that the hybrid composite adsorbed 97.25% Pb (II). Different isotherms such as Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and D-R models were also studied for the adsorption of Pb ions. The kinetics of the adsorption process was examined by I order, II order and intra particle diffusion kinetic models. The mechanism of lead adsorption onto the nanocomposite was also explored. [Display omitted] •A new method is adopted for the synthesis of PPy-Fe3O4-SW nanocomposite.•Synthesized nanocomposite was characterized by SEM, TEM, XPS, EDS, FTIR and XRD.•The nanocomposite was employed for the removal of lead ions and the uptake was 333.33 mg/g.•Sorption mechanism, isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamic studies were carried out.•Desorption and regeneration studies were also performed.