Sustainable development and analysis of a novel bio-derived (biochar) nanocomposite for the remediation of carbamazepine from aqueous solution

The presence of pharmaceutical compounds in aqueous environments has become a growing concern due to their potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. In this work, synthesis of a novel bio based nanocomposite using a biowaste, palm seed is employed for the preparation of biochar. The bio derived nanocomposite consist of polypyrrole (Ppy), graphene oxide (GO), and biochar, is employed for the Carbamazepine (CBZ) removal. The synthesized nanocomposite, Ppy-GO-Biochar, is characterized using various analytical techniques. The characterization results confirmed the successful synthesis of the Ppy-GO-Biochar nanocomposite with the desired morphology and structural properties. The effect of variables is investigated and the optimum conditions are found as: pH (7.8), adsorbent dosage (1.4 g/L), agitation speed (200 rpm) and temperature (39.5 °C). The results demonstrated that a removal efficiency of over 97.74% and uptake of 45.045 mg/g is achieved for CBZ. Furthermore, the CBZ removal followed pseudo-second-order, indicating chemisorption as the predominant mechanism. The CBZ sorption equilibrium is well represented by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm. Thermodynamic results show that CBZ sorption is endothermic and spontaneous. Mechanism of CBZ sorption using the synthesized nanocomposite follows π-π interaction and electrostatic attraction. Molecular docking studies were also performed for the sorption of CBZ. [Display omitted] •Synthesis of a novel bio based nanocomposite using a biowaste, palm seeds is employed.•CBZ removal is performed using the novel bio nanocomposite.•A maximum CBZ uptake of 45.0 mg/g and a maximum removal of 97.74% is attained.•Adsorption of CBZ follows Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm.•Mechanism is proposed for CBZ sorption using the bio-derived nanocomposite.