The shortage of clean and safe water resources, due to the growing pollution and the high cost of water treatment techniques, has become a real threat. Herein, CuZnFe2O4@N,S-doped biochar (CZF@N,S-BC), a novel magnetic, cleaner, and completely green-based composite, was fabricated using the aqueous extract of Beta vulgaris (sugar beet) leaves for the efficient removal of reactive black dye 5 (RB5) from industrial wastewater discharge. With the aid of numerous techniques, including Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Spectroscopy (SEM), Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), and zeta potential analyses, CZF@N,S-BC was well-characterized. The results revealed the successful fabrication of CZF@N,S-BC with good magnetic saturation of 12 emu/g and a highly positively charged surface of 32 mV at pH 2. The removal efficiency of RB5 was reached 96.5% at equilibrium time 60 min, and adsorbent dose of 80 mg. The equilibrium data fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm model, while the adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order model (PSO), with a maximum adsorption capacity of 276.57 mg/g. The thermodynamics results confirmed the physical interaction between the composite and RB5. Additionally, the composite also demonstrated exceptional reusability, maintaining a removal efficiency of 57.27% even after six consecutive cycles. To evaluate the performance of CZF@N,S-BC composite in a real water matrix, the composite was subjected to remove RB5 from a real wastewater sample obtained from an industrial discharge of a textile dyeing industry. Also, a plausible mechanism of RB5 removal by the composite was intensively discussed using XPS before and after adsorption.
