Eco-Engineered Biopolymer-Clay Composite for Phosphate IonRemoval: Synergistic Insights from Statistical and AI
Rachid Aziam1,2, Daniela Simina Stefan1, Safa Nouaa2
1Department of Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica of Bucharest, 1-7 Polizu Street, 011061 Bucharest, Romania.
Polymers
|July 12, 2025
Summary
This study developed a novel hydrogel bio-composite from natural clay, sodium alginate, and iota-carrageenan for efficient phosphate ion removal. The material demonstrated high adsorption capacities and was optimized using response surface methodology and artificial neural networks.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Water Treatment
Background:
- Phosphate pollution in aqueous solutions poses significant environmental challenges.
- Effective removal of phosphate ions is crucial for preventing eutrophication and maintaining water quality.
- Development of novel adsorbents is needed for efficient and sustainable phosphate remediation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize a novel hydrogel bio-composite using natural clay, sodium alginate (Na-AL), and iota-carrageenan.
- To investigate the adsorption performance of the bio-composite for phosphate ion removal from aqueous solutions.
- To optimize adsorption conditions using response surface methodology (RSM) and predict efficiency using artificial neural networks (ANN).
Main Methods:
- Characterization of the bio-composite using FTIR, SEM-EDX, and point of zero charge (PZC).
- Investigation of adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamic parameters.
- Optimization of adsorbent dosage, contact time, and initial concentration using Box-Behnken design (BBD-RSM).
- Application of artificial neural networks (ANN) for predicting adsorption efficiency.
Main Results:
- The bio-composite exhibited high adsorption capacities: 140.84 mg/g for H2PO4- and 105.26 mg/g for HPO42-.
- The pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic model best described the adsorption process.
- Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models showed high significance (R² ≈ 1), indicating diverse adsorption sites.
- RSM and ANN models demonstrated high reliability and predictive capability (R² = 0.9714 and R² = 0.974, respectively).
Conclusions:
- The synthesized hydrogel bio-composite is a highly effective adsorbent for phosphate ions.
- Adsorption is spontaneous, endothermic, and involves increased disorder at the solid-liquid interface.
- Optimization using BBD-RSM and prediction using ANN provide a reliable framework for efficient phosphate removal.
- This novel material offers a promising solution for mitigating phosphate pollution in water bodies.
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