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. 2025 Nov 10;15(22):1700.
doi: 10.3390/nano15221700.

Removal of Cadmium and Lead from Tires Discarded in the Open Sea with Multicomponent Nanoparticles from Sugarcane Bagasse

Erika Murgueitio-Herrera  1 , Pablo Carpio  2 , Paola Bungacho  2 , Luis Tipán Tapia  3 , Christian Camacho  2 , Alexis Debut  1
Affiliations

Removal of Cadmium and Lead from Tires Discarded in the Open Sea with Multicomponent Nanoparticles from Sugarcane Bagasse

Erika Murgueitio-Herrera et al. Nanomaterials (Basel). .

Abstract

This study addresses the environmental challenge of end-of-life tire accumulation, a major source of toxic metals such as lead and cadmium in marine ecosystems. As a sustainable solution, multicomponent metal-oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4, ZnO, CaO, MgO, and minor CaCO3) were green-synthesized from sugarcane bagasse and stabilized with blackberry (Rubus glaucus) extract. Structural characterization (XRD, SEM, TEM, and EDS) confirmed their crystalline inorganic composition. Pb2+ was almost completely removed (95-99%) within 15-30 min using 50-100 mg of nanoparticles, with ~80-90% efficiency at 75 mg. Cd2+ removal showed dose-dependent kinetics: ~90% removal occurred within 10 min at 75 mg, while 50 and 100 mg reached ~60-70% after 60 min. Equilibrium, kinetic, and thermodynamic analyses revealed that Pb2+ adsorption followed the Langmuir model (R2 = 0.982) with monolayer chemisorption, whereas Cd2+ obeyed the Freundlich model (R2 = 0.945), indicating heterogeneous multilayer adsorption. Pb2+ removal fitted a pseudo-second-order model (R2 = 0.991), while Cd2+ followed a pseudo-first-order behavior (R2 = 0.958). Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG° < 0, ΔH° > 0, ΔS° > 0) confirmed a spontaneous and endothermic process. Sugarcane-bagasse-derived Fe3O4-ZnO-CaO-MgO nanomaterials act as sustainable and effective adsorbents for marine heavy metal removal.

Keywords: cadmium; lead; nanoparticles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Synthesis of multicomponent nanoparticles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Frequency diagram of multicomponent nanoparticles (0.1 mol/L).
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Histogram of the size distribution of multicomponent nanoparticles (b) Particles quantified by simultaneous multi-laser analysis using the Horiba View Sizer 3000.
Figure 4
Figure 4
X-ray diffraction pattern of multicomponent nanoparticles: (a) 500 °C and (b) 900 °C.
Figure 4
Figure 4
X-ray diffraction pattern of multicomponent nanoparticles: (a) 500 °C and (b) 900 °C.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) Complete image of agglomerated multicomponent nanoparticles. (b) Enlargement of nanoparticles on the right side of the original image. (c) Multicomponent nanoparticles with enlargement of the left side of the original image.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) of multiple nanoparticles derived from sugarcane bagasse.
Figure 7
Figure 7
SEM micrograph of the material obtained from sugarcane bagasse after basic digestion and calcination at: (a,b) 500 °C and (c) 900 °C.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Removal after 1 h of interaction with multiple oxide nanoparticles (a) Lead, (b) Cadmium, (c) removal of lead and cadmium using nanoparticles (average +/−, n = 3–4) and (d) removal mechanism.
Figure 9
Figure 9
(a) Equilibrium isotherms, (b) kinetic study of lead and cadmium removal using multicomponent nanoparticles and (c) Thermodynamic_vantHoff.
Figure 9
Figure 9
(a) Equilibrium isotherms, (b) kinetic study of lead and cadmium removal using multicomponent nanoparticles and (c) Thermodynamic_vantHoff.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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