Synthesis and Characterization of Graphene Oxide for Efficient Adsorptive Removal of Hymexazol Pesticide from Aqueous Solutions: Thermodynamic, Kinetic, and Isotherm Studies

Background: Nanomaterials play a significant role in the field of water treatment due to their environment-friendly and appealing physical and chemical characteristics. Objective: The purpose of this research is to evaluate whether graphene oxide adsorbents can effectively remove hymexazol pesticide from an aqueous solution. Methods: Graphene oxide (GO) was prepared by the modified Hummer method, and it was characterized by a number characterization techniques, including XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM, TEM, and EDX. Furthermore, the performances of the GO adsorbents for the removal of hymexazol from aqueous solution were investigated. The effect of contact time, GO dosage, initial hymexazol concentration, and temperature was carefully studied. Results: The kinetic experimental data were best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The equilibrium data were well fitted by the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. The kinetic experimental data were best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. And through the thermodynamic studies, it was found that the adsorption process of hymexazol pesticide is endothermic and spontaneous, in addition to the occurrence of adsorption and absorption together. Conclusions: The findings of the adsorption process demonstrated that graphene oxide is an extremely efficient adsorbent material for pesticide adsorption, owing to its large surface area and the presence of oxygen-rich groups on its surface.