USE OF A RESIDUE-DERIVED ZEA MAYS ADSORBENT TO EFFECTIVELY REMOVE RADIOACTIVE POLLUTANTS' COMPONENTS

This research introduced an inexpensive adsorbent made from maize husks for the treatment of petroleum-contaminated water and for extracting cesium from water adjacent to the Tuwaitha plant reactor, situated south of Baghdad.The corn husks were dried and ground before being examined with a scanning electron microscope, which showed uniform particle size and the absence of fibers across different magnifications.The chemical makeup was analyzed using FTIR, revealing the presence of N-H, CO-O, C=O, C-H, and O-H bonds.The corn husks contain considerable quantities of carbohydrates (70-87%) and proteins (6-13%), with an optimal particle size of 1000 microns, yielding an impressive adsorption efficiency of 99.7%.The optimal pH level was determined to be 6, achieving a nickel adsorption rate of 89.9% within just 2 hours.This study emphasized the potential of corn as an economical home waste for the biological cleaning of environmental pollutants.