Hypothesis: Bimetallic nanoparticles have attracted attention due to synergistic properties and green synthesis. Graphene oxide (GO) is an ideal substrate for nanoparticle immobilization, but nanosheet aggregation and separation issues limit its application. Yucca cellulose can overcome these limitations. This study aims to green-synthesize a nanocomposite based on Yucca dialdehyde cellulose covalently immobilized onto functionalized GO containing Fe-Zn nanoparticles, along with a preliminary investigation of Pb (II) removal Methods: Cellulose extracted from Yucca was oxidized to dialdehyde cellulose with sodium periodate. Fe-Zn nanoparticles were deposited onto graphene oxide (synthesized by the modified Hummers method) using green tea extract. The resulting nanohybrid was functionalized with ethylenediamine and covalently attached to dialdehyde cellulose. The GO-NH2-Fe-Zn-DAC nanocomposite was characterized using various techniques, and its performance in removing Pb(II) ions was investigated Findings: FTIR confirmed the covalent bonding between aminated graphene oxide and dialdehyde cellulose. FE-SEM revealed the distribution of quasi-spherical nanoparticles with sizes of 30-50 nm on graphene oxide. XRD confirmed the presence of Fe-Zn nanoparticles, and zeta potential analysis demonstrated the colloidal stability of the final nanocomposite (-82.1 mV compared to -28 mV for pristine graphene oxide). The enhanced saturation magnetization (2.36 emu/g, approximately 3.4 times that of GO-Fe-Zn), along with low coercivity (<120 Oe) and low Mᵣ/Mₛ ratio (<0.5) confirmed the favorable soft ferromagnetic properties of the nanocomposite. In a preliminary Pb(II) removal test, the nanocomposite removed 84% of lead ions within 60 min, and its equilibrium adsorption capacity was estimated to be approximately 210 mg/g. The synthesized nanocomposite, featuring biodegradability, high colloidal stability, soft ferromagnetic behavior, magnetic separability, and a green synthesis route, holds great promise for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated wastewater and magnetic separation applications.
)