SILVER METAL NANOCOMPOSITE FROM AVOCADO PEAR SEED AS ADSORBENT FOR LEAD (II) IONS REMOVAL FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION

The present study aimed to investigate the adsorption behaviour of lead (II) ions from aqueous solutions using Avocado pear seed (APS) and silver metal nanocomposite (AgAPS)synthesized from Avocado pear seed. The agro waste underwent treatment processes such as chemical, physical and hydrothermal synthesis, giving rise to a nanocomposite with an enhanced surface area, structure and functional groups. The study investigated the influence of different parameters in adsorption, including pH, concentration, temperature, contact time and dosage. The thermodynamic studies, equilibrium isotherms, and kinetic information have been assessed. The functional groups, surface morphology, and crystalline nature of the APS and AgAPS adsorbents were analysed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models characterised the adsorption equilibrium isotherms. It was determined that the Langmuir adsorption model better fits the experimental data than the Freundlich models. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model can most accurately characterize the adsorption process.