RECENT ADVANCEMENTS IN NANOSCALE MATERIALS FROM BIOMASS WASTE DEMONSTRATE EFFICACY IN REMOVING HEAVY METAL IONS FROM WATER

High concentrations of heavy metal ions pose several risks to aquatic habitats, primarily from industrial manufacturing and agricultural activities. Some metals, like Fe²⁺and Ni²⁺, are known to be hazardous to human health if taken internally or inhaled. This work covalently grafted pomegranate peel nanoparticles (PGNS), a green adsorbent with a size of about 45-60 nm, for removing heavy metals from water. The PGNS was analyzed using zeta size and zeta potential determination, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface morphology, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The study also showed that through the development of PGNS, the surface area of the peel increased by 0.5163 m² and the pore diameter by 11.8409 nm compared to raw pomegranate peel (PG). The adsorption efficiency of the synthesized material, PGNS, was studied for removing Fe²⁺ and Ni²⁺ from aqueous media. The outcomes showed that the PGNS obtained high removal efficiencies of 85% for Fe²⁺ and 83% for Ni²⁺ compared to raw PG biomass. The study presents PGNS as a feasible and efficient technology for heavy metal removal and indicates the prospects of developing it as an efficient approach to solving problems of agricultural waste management and water pollution. The research emphasizes that the adsorbent derived from pomegranate peel is effective in treating wastewater, as it is economical, environmentally friendly, and easy to manufacture, due to its simple and benign synthesis methods.