Carthamus Tinctorius Extract as a Green Absorbent and Ionophore for the Enhanced Arsenic Removal: Isotherm, Kinetic, Mechanism Exploration

The study introduces Carthamus tinctorius (safflower) extracted with sustainability and environmental care alternative for arsenic removal, promoting the use of natural products in environmental remediation. The current research presented the synthesis of Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) membrane with the presence of Carthamus tinctorius extract in its structure and as a green absorbent for the Clearing of arsenic (As) from water. Investigating the extract for its dual role as an absorbent and an ionophore to facilitate ion transport could provide insights into a new mechanism for targeting heavy metal removal, especially in complex contaminated systems. Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS-MS), InfraRed (IR) spectroscopy, UltraViolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy techniques used for characterizing of the Carthamus tinctorius extract and confirmation of as removal. SEM image of the membrane surface after the adsorption process confirmed as removal. The EDX plot also presents the electron transition of an atom in the electronic energy level. Besides, additional investigations were conducted on the isotherm and kinetics of arsenic removal. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were the most appropriate for the obtained data, supporting the Adsorption efficiency of around 90 mg/g. In addition, the adsorption kinetics exhibited consistency with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Therefore, the use of herbal extract in PVC membrane structure indicated acceptable absorbent to remove arsenic from water. Carthamus tinctorius plays a good role as an ionophore in PVC membrane and has Nernstian behavior with a +59 mV slope.