Using of Christ’s Thorn Jujube Leaves as an Efficient Material for Two Eco-Friendly Applications

Abstract Despite the benefits provided by zinc element, there are damages that may result from it in the event of an increase in its percentage in the human body. In this case, its impact will be negative and harmful to health as well as environmental pollution impact. Because this element is a multi-use element in all fields, many activities throw zinc in their waste, which can reach humans through the food chain. Therefore, zinc ions must be removed from polluted aqueous media if they exceed the permissible limits according to international standards. The current paper aims to remove zinc ions from polluted water by means of adsorption technology and to investigate the susceptibility of Christ's thorn jujube (CTJ) leaves [of scientific name Ziziphus spina-christi] as a low-cost natural adsorption medium. The effect of a multi-operating condition that is directly related to the adsorption process was studied within specific ranges to determine the optimal conditions for the treatment process, where the percentage of zinc removal is the highest possible. The study was conducted using a batch-mode unit. The studied operational conditions were represented by the acidity function (pH), the initial zinc ions concentration, the quantity of raw CTJ leaves used, contact time, temperature, and the agitation speed. The obtained results showed that about 77% of zinc ions were recovered and that the percentage of removal is directly proportional to the acidity function (pH), agitation speed, contact time, CTJ dose, and temperature and inversely with the initial zinc ion concentration. The residues of CTJ leaves loaded with zinc ions were investigated for their utilization by studying its use as a type of organic fertilizer for white beans after determining the amount of zinc ions adsorbed by CTJ leaves. The results showed that the mass of bean pods obtained from the soil treated with CTJ leaves loaded with zinc was approximately 9% more than the mass of beans produced from the soil treated with CTJ leaves alone and the untreated soil, where the mass of the resulting crop was approximately equal. Thus, this paper proposed one of the innovative methods of solid waste management and water purification simultaneously in an efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly manner.