wcm.04.2025.758.765

The current study aims to evaluate the conversion of virgin Eucalyptus leaves from domestic troublesome waste into a suitable adsorption medium for removing nitrate anions from simulated polluted aqueous solutions, using a batch-type adsorption unit and at notable range of operating parameters. Virgin Eucalyptus leaves were collected from northern Baghdad during the winter, washed, dried, then ground and sifted. The largest quantity of powder was used in the subsequent treatment step. The study investigated the effect of changing temperature, contact time, and agitation speed as operating conditions for the adsorption unit, while the contaminated solution variables varied between pH and initial nitrate ion concentration. The dosage of virgin Eucalyptus leaves powder was the key factor in determining the efficiency of the adsorptive treatment process. The results obtained from the experiments indicated that the powder of virgin Eucalyptus leaves has a good ability for recovering nitrate anions from contaminated simulated solutions. The efficiency was increased with increasing agitation speed, contact time, and adsorbent dose, while it decreased with increasing initial concentration of the target anions and temperature. The pH of the solution had a bi-behavior effect on efficiency, with removal increasing in acidic zone and decreasing in alkaline zone. The acidity function exhibited a dual behavior, increasing with rising pH values between 1-6, while in the alkaline range the percentage removal decreased dramatically. The optimal time for the adsorption process was two hours, as 6.5 g of virgin Eucalyptus leaves powder was able to remove 78% of 73 ppm concentration of the nitrate anions at room temperature, neutral-acidic pH, and moderate agitation speed. Based on the above results, the virgin Eucalyptus leaves confirm their ability to be a useful and important material in maintaining ecological balance, through the treatment of wastewater contaminated with nitrate anions, especially in agricultural areas that produce this type of pollutant as a byproduct of fertilizer use.