Efficient Mesoporous MgO/g-C(3)N(4) for Heavy Metal Uptake: Modeling Process and Adsorption Mechanism

Removing toxic metal ions arising from contaminated wastewaters caused by industrial effluents with a cost-effective method tackles a serious concern worldwide. The adsorption process onto metal oxide and carbon-based materials offers one of the most efficient technologies adopted for metal ion removal. In this study, mesoporous MgO/g-C(3)N(4) sorbent is fabricated by ultrasonication method for the uptake Pb (II) and Cd (II) heavy metal ions from an aqueous solution. The optimum conditions for maximum uptake: initial concentration of metal ions 250 mg g(−1), pH = 5 and pH = 3 for Pb(++) and Cd(++), and a 60 mg dose of adsorbent. In less than 50 min, the equilibrium is reached with a good adsorption capacity of 114 and 90 mg g(−1) corresponding to Pb(++) and Cd(++), respectively. Moreover, the adsorption isotherm models fit well with the Langmuir isotherm, while the kinetics model fitting study manifest a perfect fit with the pseudo-second order. The as fabricated mesoporous MgO/g-C(3)N(4) sorbent exhibit excellent Pb(++) and Cd(++) ions uptake and can be utilized as a potential adsorbent in wastewater purification.