Synthesis and Characterization of Nickel Diphenylamine Blended Aluminum Oxide Composite for Decontaminating Aqueous Solution From Lead

ABSTRACT Water pollution is a major environmental threat that poses a risk to both human health and ecosystem integrity. The use of effective removal agents for the treatment of polluted water is urgently needed. In this work, we report nickel diphenylamine/aluminum oxide (Ni‐DPA/Al 2 O 3 ) composites synthesized from Ni‐DPA complex and Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles (NPs) using a simple mechanical approach. The composites were characterized using FTIR and XRD techniques. The adsorption performance of Ni‐DPA/Al 2 O 3 composites was demonstrated as a function of key considerations including pH, contact time, initial concentration, and adsorbent dose. Adsorption experiments demonstrated the significant potential of the Ni‐DPA/Al 2 O 3 composites for the removal of Pb 2+ ion from water. The maximum adsorption capacity was observed at pH 6, adsorbent dose of 0.4 g, an initial amount of 40 mg/L, and with interaction time of 120 min. At the optimum conditions 96.5% of Pb 2+ was removed. For the control experiment pristine Al 2 O 3 was used and only 93% of Pb 2+ was removed. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption process followed a pseudo‐second‐order model, suggesting chemisorption as the rate‐limiting step. Furthermore, the isotherm studies confirmed a multilayer adsorption of Pb 2+ ion following a Freundlich model. The results showed Ni‐DPA/Al 2 O 3 composites as promising efficient adsorbents for environmental remediation applications.