Paracetamol removal by bimetallic zero-valent Fe/Cu with benjamina leaf extract

A green synthesis approach using Ficus benjamina leaf extract was successfully used for preparing bimetallic zero-valent iron (Fe)/copper (Cu) nanoparticles. The F. benjamina nano-zero-valent iron/copper (FB-nZVFe/Cu) was characterised by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The characterisation showed that bimetallic nanoparticles had been synthesized. The removal efficiency at a concentration of 10 mg/l reached 86% under the following conditions: dose of 0·5 g/l, time of 45 min and pH of 5. FB-nZVFe/Cu had good durability and stability and possessed excellent reusability for removal of paracetamol (C₁₅H₁₂N₂O) even after being reused five times. The results were analysed according to the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. The adsorption data agree more with the Langmuir model (R ² = 0·9989), with q _max = 16·49 mg/g. The results of adsorption kinetics indicate that paracetamol uptake on FB-nZVFe/Cu follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Overall, FB-nZVFe/Cu is a favourable green material for removal of paracetamol from aqueous solutions. The effect of varying the functional parameters was investigated using linear regression analysis; they were found to account for more than 98% of the variables affecting the removal procedure.