Comparative performance of hierarchical 3D flower-like and 2D MoS2–Kaolin hybrid adsorbents for mercury remediation and antimicrobial applications

Ayobamiji Charles Idowu, Awal Adava Abdulsalam, Madina Pirman, Dilnaz Amrasheva, Elizabeth Arkhangelsky, Tri Thanh Pham, Stavros G. Poulopoulos

Chemical Engineering Journal Advances, 2026

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DOI 10.1016/j.ceja.2026.101341
Data confidence 85 high
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Abstract

The critical environmental challenges associated with mercury pollution are attributed to its toxicity, persistence, and tendency to bioaccumulate throughout the food chain. In this study, kaolin–molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) composites engineered with two distinct morphologies, three-dimensional (3D) flower-like MoS 2 (F-MoS 2 ) and two-dimensional MoS 2 (2D-MoS 2 ), were synthesized and evaluated for mercury removal from aqueous solutions. MoS 2 was hydrothermally synthesized and deposited onto kaolin to obtain K–F-MoS 2 and K–2D-MoS 2 composites. Comprehensive characterization confirmed well-defined 2D and 3D flower-like architectures and demonstrated their structural integrity following Hg 2+ adsorption. K–F-MoS 2 exhibited significantly higher performance than K–2D-MoS 2 with maximum Langmuir capacities of 161.4 and 76.8 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption isotherms were best described by the Langmuir model for K–F-MoS 2 and the Freundlich model for K–2D-MoS 2 . Both composites followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating chemisorption-driven uptake, and mechanistic investigations confirmed Hg 2+ binding was predominantly through covalent surface complexation with sulfur atoms on MoS 2 . Thermodynamic studies establish the endothermic nature of the adsorption process. K–2D-MoS 2 and K–F-MoS 2 exhibited antibacterial activity against S. aureus and Escherichia coli (BL21), with K–2D-MoS 2 exhibiting a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2.5 and 5 mg/mL , and for K–F-MoS 2, 5 and 10 mg/mL, respectively. Both adsorbents also inhibited biofilm formation. These results demonstrate that kaolin–MoS 2 hybrid systems are promising multifunctional materials for Hg 2+ remediation and antimicrobial protection with strong potential for industrial applications.