DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/jksa.29.6.396-404

Synthesis of Activated Carbon/Magnetite Nanocomposite Modified with Povidone for Adsorption Applications of Heavy Metal Ions

1Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang 65145, Indonesia

2Laser Center, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Malaysia

Received: 11 Apr 2026; Revised: 11 Jun 2026; Accepted: 18 Jun 2026; Published: 31 Jul 2026.
Open Access Copyright 2026 Jurnal Kimia Sains dan Aplikasi under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.

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Abstract
This study reports on activated carbon/magnetite nanocomposite modified with povidone for the adsorption applications of heavy metal (lead) ions. The synthesis routes used in this study were coprecipitation, activated carbon activation, and ex-situ methods. The data analysis results showed that the activated carbon/magnetite nanocomposite modified with povidone had a crystallite size of 9.45 nm with a single-phase inverse cubic spinel structure. The activated carbon/magnetite nanocomposite modified with povidone showed successful synthesis with the appearance of octahedral and tetrahedral Fe–O lattice vibrations (440 and 550 cm–1), O–H (3200–3395 cm–1), C=O (1655 cm–1), and C–N (1182 cm–1) functional groups. Furthermore, the activated carbon/magnetite nanocomposite modified with povidone exhibited a chunky and spherical morphology, with a particle size of 39.91 nm. The nanocomposite had a large specific surface area and pore volume, namely 129.237 m2/g and 0.198 cm3/g, respectively, thus providing many active sites for adsorption. Interestingly, the nanocomposite was superparamagnetic, facilitating its separation from the solution after adsorption. The adsorption efficiency of this nanocomposite was 71.01% with an adsorption capacity of 29.6415 mg/g in 180 minutes at a volume of heavy metal solution of 25 mL with a theoretical concentration of 100 ppm, adsorbent dose of 0.05 g, pH 5, and room temperature, and followed with pseudo-second order adsorption kinetics model. The resulting removal efficiency is better than magnetite/povidone, which has a removal efficiency of 70%.
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Keywords: Activated carbon/magnetite; Povidone modification; Lead heavy metal; Adsorption; Wastewater
Funding: Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi, Sains, dan Teknologi under contract PPS-PTM scheme No. 2.6.154/UN32.14.1/LT/2025.

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Section: Research Articles
Language : EN
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