Novel Synthesis of Histidine Derivative for Effective Treatment of Industrial Wastewater Containing Cadmium and Lead

Abstract: In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of ligand, 2-{[(2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methyl]amino}-3-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)propanoic acid, in removing heavy metal ions from wastewater. To investigate the adsorption and/or complexation of Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions in aqueous solutions, we varied the conditions such as contact time, temperature, and pH. We characterized the ligand using different techniques such as FTIR, 1H NMR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. We used atomic absorption spectrophotometry to determine the concentration of metal ions in the aqueous samples. The adsorption process was fast, with maximum adsorption achieved within 10 minutes for Pb2+ and Cd2+. The results revealed that at pH 2–8.92.62% of lead and 100% of cadmium were removed. Thermodynamic calculations suggest that physical forces predominantly drive the adsorption process of heavy metals onto the ligand. Our findings indicate that the ligand is capable of effectively reducing the concentration of the two heavy metals in wastewater to below 0.5 ppm, with an efficiency of 95.64% for lead and 100% for cadmium.