Facile fabrication of novel magnetic chitosan-alginate @ pomegranate peel extract nanocomposite for the adsorptive removal of naphthalene from aqueous solutions

The prevalent presence of naphthalene contamination in aquatic ecosystems is a significant concern due to its carcinogenic and priority pollutant properties. This study focuses on the synthesis of magnetized chitosan/alginate/pomegranate peel extract nanocomposites (Fe₃O₄/PPE/Cs-Alg), was characterized by Zeta potential, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The results predicted that the successfully synthesis of Fe3O4/PPE/Cs-Alg. The study evaluates the efficacy of the nanocomposite in naphthalene removal, considering operational parameters like pH, varied initial naphthalene concentrations, nanocomposite doses and contact time . The maximum adsorption capacities of naphthalene optimal conditions were 88.12 mg/g for 50 ppm initial naphthalene concentration. The Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Sips isotherms were applied to analyze the experimental equilibrium data. The Sips isotherm was identified as the most suitable model, as evidenced by the highest (R² = 0.97), Also, the adsorption data conformed well to the pseudo-second-order kinetics model (R² = 0.99). The thermodynamic study showed positive values for ΔH° and ΔS° throughout the adsorption process respectively, implying an endothermic behavior. Therefore, we found that it can significantly remove naphthalene in aqueous environments and hence could be useful for cleaning up the environment from Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbon.