Synergistic effect of Cu(II) anchored on Cherry Gum/Fe3O4/EDTA for swift catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol and dye pollutants.

Developing innovative wastewater treatment technologies to mitigate dangerous water contaminants including heavy metals, nitro-aromatic chemicals, dyes, and agricultural poisons has emerged as a significant problem for the survival of living beings and the environment globally. To enhance the quality of water resources, a Cherry Gum/Fe3O4/EDTA/Cu(II) bionanocomposite was created. This research involved the in-situ magnetization of polymer strands derived from cherry gum, a natural, non-toxic, and environmentally sustainable biopolymer. Subsequently, it was functionalized with EDTA and copper (II) transition metal on the active groups of EDTA and gum. The evaluation of the nanocomposite's physical and chemical properties, including crystalline phase, surface morphology, elemental composition, surface area, magnetic properties, and thermal stability, was conducted using FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, Zeta potential, VSM, TGA, BET, and ICP-OES analyses. The catalytic efficacy of the synthesized bionanocomposite in the reduction of diverse pollutants, including 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RhB), and methyl orange (MO), utilizing NaBH4 as a reductant, was examined through UV-Vis spectroscopy. The apparent rate constants and efficiencies for the reduction of 4-NP, MB, RhB, and MO were 0.0254 s-1 and 98 %, 0.0161 s-1 and 96 %, 0.0300 s-1 and 97 %, and 0.007 s-1 and 96 %, respectively.