Simplified synthesis and identification of novel nanostructures consisting of cobalt borate and cobalt oxide for crystal violet dye removal from aquatic environments

Crystal violet dye poses significant health risks to humans, including carcinogenic and mutagenic effects, as well as environmental hazards due to its persistence and toxicity in aquatic ecosystems. This study focuses on the efficient removal of crystal violet dye from aqueous media using novel Co₃O₄/Co₃(BO₃)₂ nanostructures synthesized via the Pechini sol-gel approach. The nanostructures, which were abbreviated to EN600 and EN800, were fabricated at calcination temperatures of 600 and 800 °C, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the synthesized samples have a cubic Co₃O₄ phase and an orthorhombic Co₃(BO₃)₂ phase, with mean crystal sizes of 43.82 nm and 52.93 nm for EN600 and EN800 samples, respectively. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas of EN600 and EN800 samples were 65.80 and 43.76 m²/g, respectively, indicating a significant surface area available for adsorption. Optimal removal of crystal violet dye was achieved at a temperature of 298 K, a contact time of 70 min, and a pH of 10. The maximum adsorption capacities were found to be 284.09 mg/g for EN600 and 256.41 mg/g for EN800, which are notably higher compared to many conventional adsorbents. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption was exothermic, spontaneous, and physical in nature. Moreover, the adsorbents exhibited excellent reusability, retaining high efficiency after multiple regeneration cycles using 6 mol/L hydrochloric acid. These findings highlight the potential of these Co₃O₄/Co₃(BO₃)₂ nanostructures as effective and sustainable materials for water purification applications.