Multifunctional nanohybrid for simultaneous detection and removal of Arsenic(III) from aqueous solutions

Herein, for the adsorption and detection of As (III), multifunctional nanohybrid have been synthesized using a solvothermal approach. Structural and functional characterizations confirmed the impregnation of the ZnO over graphene oxide. Nanohybrid exhibits a remarkable q_max (maximum adsorption capacity) of 8.17 mg/g, at an adsorbent dose of 3 g/L and pH of 8.23. Higher adsorption with nanohybrid was attributed to a large BET surface area of 32.950 m²/g. The chemical nature and adsorption behaviour of As(III) on ZnO-GO were studied by fitting the data with various adsorption isotherms (Langmuir & Freundlich) and kinetics models (six models). It is observed from the findings that removal of As(III) with ZnO-GO nanocomposite appears to be technically feasible with high removal efficiency. The feasibility of the nanocomposite to function as a sensor for the detection of As(III) was also evaluated. The fabricated sensor could detect As(III) with a lower limit of detection of 0.24 μM and linear range up to 80 μM. Overall, this study is significant in nanohybrid as a multifunctional composite for the adsorption and detection of As (III) from wastewater.