LAUSR

The zeolite ZSM-5 (MFI-5) was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The cobalt ferrite spinel nanoparticles (29.4 wt% of CoFe2O4 NPs) were immobilized over it via the ultrasound assisted dispersion route to acquire the novel zeolite ZSM-5/CoFe2O4 NPs adsorbent. The synthesized samples were characterized by XRD, FTIR, VSM, AFM, FESEM, TEM, EDAX, and X-ray dot-mapping. The ZSM-5/CoFe2O4 has been proposed for the effective removal of DMMP (dimethyl methyl phosphonate) a simulant of nerve agent sarin from aqueous solution. The analysis results from both GC-FID and GC–MS clearly proved the substantial adsorption–degradation phenomenon. Further, the effect of several factors including contact time, initial concentration, adsorbent dose, and adsorbent type on the removal of DMMP were surveyed. The GC-FID analysis data confirmed the maximum removal of 94.3% for DMMP. The parameters namely: contact time (50 min), adsorbent dose (0.1 g), and initial concentration (50 mg/L) were considered as optimized values for the reaction. Moreover, the reaction kinetic was studied applying first order model. The half-life (t1/2) and rate constant (k) were calculated as 13.27 min and 0.0522 min−1, respectively. Ultimately, the less toxic methyl phosphoric acid as the degradation and hydrolysis product of the DMMP by the ZSM-5/CoFe2O4 NPs was emerged and identified.