Copper supported Dowex50WX8 resin utilized for the elimination of ammonia and its sustainable application for the degradation of dyes in wastewater

Abstract To obtain high efficient elimination of ammonia (NH4 +) from wastewater, Cu(II), Ni(II), and Co(II)) were loaded on Dowex-50WX8 resin (D-H) and studied their removal efficiency towards NH4 + from aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacity of Cu(II)-loaded on D-H (D-Cu2+) towards NH4 + (qe = 95.58 mg/g) was the highest one compared with that of D-Ni2+ (qe = 57.29 mg/g) and D-Co2+ (qe = 43.43 mg/g). Detailed studies focused on the removal of NH4 + utilizing D-Cu2+ were accomplished under various experimental conditions. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model fitted well the adsorption data of NH4 + on D-Cu2+. The non-linear Langmuir model was the best model for the adsorption process, producing a maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity (qmax = 280.9 mg/g) at pH = 8.4, and 303 K in less than 20 min. The adsorption of NH4 + onto D-Cu2+ was an exothermic and spontaneous process. In a sustainable step, the resulting D-Cu(II)-ammine composite from the NH4 + adsorption process displayed excellent catalytic activity for the degradation of aniline blue (AB) and methyl violet 2B (MV 2B) dyes utilizing H2O2 as an eco-friendly oxidant.