Efficient Removal of Heavy Metals, Dyes, and Contaminants from Industrial Wastewater Using Chitosan-Coated Fe3O4 Nanocomposites: Biosynthesis, Characterizations, and Performance Evaluation

Industrial wastewater containing heavy metals, toxic compounds, and dyes poses significant environmental concerns. These substances harm aquatic and terrestrial life, making their removal essential for safeguarding biodiversity, ecosystems, and human health. This study focused on synthesizing Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) and their chitosan-coated composite (CS/Fe3O4 NC) for effective wastewater treatment. The NPs were synthesized using the aqueous leaf extract of Laurus nobilis and then coated with chitosan extracted from shrimp. Characterization analysis confirmed the spherical morphology of both Fe3O4 NPs and CS/Fe3O4 NC, with average sizes of 21.3 nm and 28 nm, respectively. The Fe3O4 NPs and CS/Fe3O4 NC exhibited optical bandgap energies of 2.62 eV and 1.81 eV, respectively, indicating their potential as efficient photocatalysts. Photocatalytic efficiency was evaluated using methylene blue (MB) and ortho-toluidine blue (O-TB) dyes. After 75 min, CS/Fe3O4 NC achieved degradation rates of 99