Synthesis of montmorillonite/Cu-Cd-Al layered triple oxide (MMT/Cu-Cd-Al-LTO) nanocomposite for a highly efficient removal of organic pollutant from aqueous solution for wastewater treatment

• Synthesized MMT/Cu-Cd-Al-LTO nanocomposite to enhance dye removal efficiency. • The nanocomposite was analyzed using XRD, FT-IR, FESEM, and HRTEM to confirm structural and morphological modifications. • The nanocomposite demonstrated a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 1174 mg/g, indicating strong efficiency. • Adsorption data fitted well with Temkin isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, confirming the multifaced mechanism. Industrial activities release large volumes of wastewater containing various dye compounds, posing a major environmental hazard that threatens ecosystems and human health. To address this issue, the current work seeks to boost the adsorption efficiency of Montmorillonite (MMT) through its modification by integrating Cu-Cd-Al-layered triple oxide (Cu-Cd-Al-LTO) in the clay matrix for the purpose of eliminating Malachite Green (MG) dye. The modified materials were examined using methods viz. HRTEM, FT-IR, FESEM, and PXRD. This study thoroughly investigates the influence of various parameters of adsorption. The study produced the best results when the adsorbent dose (0.4 g/L), initial dye concentration (180 mg/L), agitation time (180 min), temperature (40 °C), and dye's natural pH were all optimized. The findings indicate that newly synthesised MMT/Cu-Cd-Al-LTO nanocomposite is effective in removing MG dye from wastewater, achieving an impressive maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 1174 mg/g. The Langmuir model of isotherm and kinetic model of PSO provided optimal fit for the adsorption studies. The negative ΔG o value indicates a spontaneous adsorption process as per thermodynamics study. Additionally, reusability of the nanocomposite up to 4 th cycle with 66.3 ± 0.27 % capacity retention, makes it a cost-effective choice in the field of adsorption.