Carbon-NiTiO2 Nanosorbent as Suitable Adsorbents for the Detoxification of Zn2+ Ions via Combined Metal–Oxide Interfaces

Metal ions exemplify one of the most harmful and environmentally detrimental contaminants of water systems. This work describes the creation of an innovative chelated carbon-doped nickel and titanium oxide (C-NiTiO2) hybrid as an adsorbent for the effective elimination of metal ions. The dominance of the TiO2 anatase phase with a ≈ 61 nm crystallite size was verified by XRD and Raman investigation. Morphology investigations exposed polygonal nanoparticles consisting of Ti, C, Ni, and O. The nanostructure exhibited a surface area of 17 m2·g−1, a pore diameter of ≈1.5 nm, and a pore volume of 0.0315 cm3·g−1. The nanostructure was evaluated for the elimination of Zn (II) ions from an aqueous solution. The metal ion adsorption onto the hybrid nanomaterial was described and comprehended using adsorption kinetics and equilibrium models. The adsorption data matched well with the pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir adsorption models, indicating a monolayer chemisorption mechanism and achieving a maximum Zn (II) ion elimination of 369 mg·g−1. Mechanistic investigation indicated film diffusion-controlled adsorption through inner-sphere complexation. The nanosorbent could be regenerated and reused for four rounds without appreciable activity loss, thus demonstrating its potential for water cleanup applications.