Fabrication of Loofah Sponge as an Effective Natural Chromium Sequestrant

Industrialization is key to a nation’s progress, but exposure to industrial effluents containing heavy metals can cause deadly diseases; therefore, mitigation measures must be applied to safeguard both human beings and the environment. In this study, loofah sponges, a natural heavy metal sequestrant, were modified with sodium hydroxide, acetic acid, sequestering, and wetting agents and showed increased mechanical strength with strong interfacial bonding with the composite materials than untreated loofah sponge. Characterization techniques, including ASTM-D570, FTIR, SEM, SEM-EDX, TGA (thermogravimetry analysis), XRD (X-ray diffraction spectra), and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) were employed to investigate the SSGP-pretreated loofah sponge. The FTIR and SEM examination revealed the removal of waxes and contaminants and heavy metal adsorption on the loofah sponge noted in the SEM-EDX image. The ICP-OES analysis revealed that the pretreated loofah sponge adsorbed about 39 mg/g of chromium. This study proved that pretreated loofah sponges adsorbed about 12.4% more chromium than untreated loofah sponges. Therefore, a pretreated loofah sponge, an environmentally based green technology, can be utilized as an effective biocarrier for heavy metal-contaminated effluents. This study supports the Sustainable Development Goals of clean water and sanitation and recommends using a modified loofah sponge for large-scale applications.