Synthesis of novel CuO/ZnFe2O4/NaA zeolite nanocomposite adsorbent for the decontamination of nerve agent sarin simulant

The aim of present research is to evaluate the decontamination of nerve agent sarin simulant dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP) in water media using the CuO/ZnFe₂O₄/NaA zeolite as a novel ternary nanocomposite adsorbent. In this regard, the CuO and ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were successfully synthesized within the NaA zeolite applying the ultrasound-assisted hydrothermal route and characterized via XRD, FESEM, FTIR, EDAX, VSM and BET analyses. Then, the CuO/ZnFe₂O₄/NaA nanocomposite activity was investigated for the decontamination of DMMP molecule and monitored by a GC-FID and GC-MS analyses. Plus, the impacts of several parameters, including contact time, adsorbent dose and adsorbent type on the decontamination of DMMP were studied. The gained data from GC-FID analysis confirmed the maximum decontamination more than 98.4% for DMMP. The parameters including: adsorbent amount of 50 mg and contact time of 40 min were achieved as the optimized values for the decontamination reaction. In addition, the non-toxic methyl phosphoric acid (MPA) as the DMMP degradation product in the presence of CuO/ZnFe₂O₄/NaA adsorbent was characterized.