Synthesis of green ceramic adsorbent for the treatment of tire factory effluent containing lead, zinc, aluminum, cobalt, iron and manganese ions

In this study, a novel nano-composite ceramic adsorbent was synthesized and characterized for the removal of heavy metal ions from industrial wastewater. The adsorbent was prepared using low-cost materials including clay and human hair, and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles derived from bovine bones. The synthesis method, material properties, and adsorption performance were thoroughly investigated wed XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM and, BET. The adsorption process was optimized using Design Expert software, resulting in optimal conditions of pH 6.5, adsorbent mass of 22.5 g, temperature of 44.5 °C, initial concentration of 281 mgL−1, and retention time of 192 min. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous, endothermic, and followed the Freundlich isotherm model. The adsorption mechanism involved ion exchange, physical and chemical surface adsorption, facilitated by the unique surface properties of the nano-composite adsorbent. Moreover, the adsorbent exhibited high regeneration efficiency, with up to 73 cycles of reuse without a decrease in removal efficiency. •Developed a cost-effective nano-composite ceramic adsorbent.•Achieved high heavy metal ion removal at optimal conditions (more than 95 %).•Excellent regeneration, maintaining efficiency for up to 73 cycles.•Chemically and mechanically stable under acidic and basic conditions.