Application of Nanosized Zeolite X Modified with Glutamic Acid as a Novel Composite for the Efficient Removal of Co(II) ions from Aqueous Media

In this work, nanosized zeolite X modified with glutamic acid was facilely synthesized as a novel composite. Also, the synthesized zeolite X/glutamic acid composite was identified using various instruments such as XRD, CHN, FT-IR, and FE-SEM. The FE-SEM image confirmed that the fabricated composite has a cotton-like structure. Also, the XRD pattern confirmed the presence of a wide XRD peak at 2Ɵ = 23°. Hence, this confirmed that the crystalline structure of zeolite X interfered or combined over amorphous surroundings. Besides, the synthesized zeolite X/glutamic acid composite was employed as an adsorbent for the efficient removal of Co(II) ions from aqueous media. Moreover, the highest removal efficiency is achieved at pH = 6, time = 100 min, and temperature = 298 K. The experimental results were matched well with the Langmuir equilibrium isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum adsorption capacity of the synthesized composite is 120.90 ± 3.94 mg/g. Additionally, the removal of Co(II) ions is chemical, exothermic, and spontaneous.