Prefatory evaluation on the application of blend membrane of sodium Alginate and Moringa oleifera leaves grafted polyacrylamide for adsorption of Zink and Iron (ii) in aqueous solution

Metal contamination of wastewater creates a need for effective adsorbents derived partly from readily available biomass. This study prepared a composite membrane comprising sodium alginate and Moringa oleifera leaves grafted with polyacrylamide (Na-Alg/MOL-g-PAAm) and evaluated its performance for removing zinc (Zn²?) and iron(II) (Fe²?) ions from aqueous solutions. The graft copolymer was synthesized using ceric ammonium nitrate as an initiator, blended with sodium alginate and crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. Batch adsorption experiments examined the effects of solution pH, ionic strength, temperature, initial metal-ion concentration and contact time. Residual metal concentrations were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The membrane achieved reported removal efficiencies of 95.7% for Zn²? and 93.9% for Fe²?. Metal uptake generally increased with increasing pH, initial concentration and contact time, whereas increasing ionic strength and temperature reduced uptake within the investigated ranges. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were examined to describe equilibrium adsorption, although incomplete fitted parameters limited definitive comparison of the models. These findings demonstrate the potential of Na-Alg/MOL-g-PAAm as an adsorbent for Zn²? and Fe²? removal under the tested conditions. Further characterization, regeneration studies and evaluation using real wastewater are needed to establish its suitability for practical treatment applications.