Mesoporous Alumina Nanoparticles as Host Tunnel-like Pores for Removal and Recovery of Insecticides from Environmental Samples

Water contamination with lindane, which is a persistent, toxic, and priority insecticide, is a major problem worldwide. This study presents the fabrication of mesoporous alumina nanoparticles (MA-NPs) with a large surface-area-to-volume ratio, active surface sites, and open channel pores to trap/adsorb insecticide molecules, such as lindane. Key factors, such as temperature, pH (i.e., 4.5), adsorbate-adsorbent concentration, and contact time, influence the thermodynamics and kinetics of heterogeneous lindane-MA-NP adsorption. Results show that the maximum adsorption capacity (q<inf>m</inf>) of lindane is 25.54mgg^-1 at 20°C. MA-NPs also exhibits a high uptake efficiency (>80%) of lindane after 20cycles, which results in effective regeneration and reusability characteristics. MA-NPs were also applied in real environmental samples from tap and lake water sources contaminated with lindane. The results indicate that the MA-NPs show evidence of their environmental impact, their potential influence on the removal and recovery of lindane, and their possible contribution to waste management.