| Summary: | This study reports a facile approach for preparing low-cost, eco-friendly nanocomposites of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and date palm tree fiber (DPF) as a biomass sorbent. The hypothesis of this research work is the formation of an outstanding adsorbent based on the date palm fiber and ZnO nanoparticles. ZnO NP/DPF nanocomposites were synthesized by mixing the synthesized ZnO NPs and DPF in different mass ratios and evaluating their efficacy in adsorbing Pb<sup>2+</sup> from aqueous solutions. The structure and surface morphology of the developed ZnO NP/DPF nanocomposite were critically characterized by XRD, FESEM, and TEM techniques. Compared to ZnO NPs, the ZnO NP/DPF nanocomposites displayed significantly enhanced Pb<sup>2+</sup> uptake. Pb<sup>2+</sup> adsorption was confirmed via various isotherm and kinetic models and thermodynamics. The computed Langmuir sorption capacity <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><msub><mi>q</mi><mi>m</mi></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>) was found to be 88.76 mg/g (R<sup>2</sup> > 0.998), and the pseudo-second-order R<sup>2</sup> > 0.999 model was most appropriate for describing Pb<sup>2+</sup> adsorption. Impregnating the biomass with ZnO NPs enhanced the spontaneity of the process, and the value (−56.55 kJ/mol) of <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>Δ</mo><mi>H</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> displayed the exothermic characteristics of Pb<sup>2+</sup> retention. Only the loaded ZnO NP/DPF achieved the removal of a high percentage (84.92%) of Pb<sup>2+</sup> from the environmental water sample (seawater). This finding suggests the use of ZnO NP/DPF nanocomposites for removing heavy metals from environmental water samples to purify the samples.
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