Preparation and characterization of magnetic Fe3O 4/CNT nanoparticles by RPO method to enhance the efficient removal of Cr(VI)

Enhancing chromium removal and recovery from industrial wastewater using sustainable and efficient nanomaterial: A review

Water contamination can be detrimental to the human health due to higher concentration of carcinogenic heavy metals such as chromium (Cr) in the wastewater. Many traditional methods are being employed in wastewater treatment plants for Cr removal to control the environmental impacts. Such methods include ion exchange, coagulation, membrane filtration, and chemical precipitation and microbial degradation. Recent advances in materials science and green chemistry have led to the development of nanomaterial that possess high specific surface areas and multiple functions, making them suitable for removing metals such as Cr from wastewater. Literature shows that the most efficient, effective, clean, and long-lasting approach for removing heavy metals from wastewater involves adsorbing heavy metals onto the surface of nanomaterial. This review assesses the removal methods of Cr from wastewater, advantages and disadvantages of using nanomaterial to remove Cr from wastewater and potential negative impacts on human health. The latest trends and developments in Cr removal strategies using nanomaterial adsorption are also explored in the present review.

Enhancing Cu2+ Ion Removal: An Innovative Approach Utilizing Modified Frankincense Gum Combined with Multiwalled Carbon Tubes and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as Adsorbent

Aquatic pollution, which includes organic debris and heavy metals, is a severe issue for living things. Copper pollution is hazardous to people, and there is a need to develop effective methods for eliminating it from the environment. To address this issue, a novel adsorbent composed of frankincense-modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Fr-MMWCNTs) and Fe3O4 [Fr-MWCNT-Fe3O4] was created and subjected to characterization. Batch adsorption tests showed that Fr-MWCNT-Fe3O4 had a maximum adsorption capacity of 250 mg/g at 308 K and could efficiently remove Cu2+ ions over a pH range of 6 to 8. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, and its thermodynamics were identified as endothermic. Functional groups on the surface of modified MWCNTs improved their adsorption capacity, and a rise in temperature increased the adsorption efficiency. These results highlight the Fr-MWCNT-Fe3O4 composites' potential as an efficient adsorbent for removing Cu2+ ions from untreated natural water sources.

Highly selective adsorption of Hg (II) from aqueous solution by three-dimensional porous N-doped starch-based carbon

For the first time, N-doped carbon materials with 3D porous-layered skeleton structure was synthesized through a one-step co-pyrolysis method, which was fabricated by co-pyrolysis of natural corn starch and melamine using metal catalysts (Ni (II) and Mn (II)). The 3D-NC possessed a heterogeneously meso-macroporous surface with a hierarchically connected sheet structure inside. Batch adsorption experiments suggested that highly selective adsorption of Hg (II) by the 3D-NC could be completed within 90 min and had maximum adsorption capacities as high as 403.24 mg/g at 293 K, pH = 5. The adsorption mechanism for Hg (II) was carefully evaluated and followed the physical adsorption, electrostatic attraction, chelation, and ion exchange. Besides, thermodynamic study demonstrated that the Hg (II) adsorption procedure was spontaneous, endothermic, and randomness. More importantly, the 3D-NC could be regenerated and recovered well after adsorption-desorption cycles, showing a promising prospect in the remediation of Hg (II)-contaminated wastewater.

Removal of Chromium Species by Adsorption: Fundamental Principles, Newly Developed Adsorbents and Future Perspectives

Emerging chromium (Cr) species have attracted increasing concern. A majority of Cr species, especially hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), could lead to lethal effects on human beings, animals, and aquatic lives even at low concentrations. One of the conventional water-treatment methodologies, adsorption, could remove these toxic Cr species efficiently. Additionally, adsorption possesses many advantages, such as being cost-saving, easy to implement, highly efficient and facile to design. Previous research has shown that the application of different adsorbents, such as carbon nanotubes (carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) and its derivatives), activated carbons (ACs), biochars (BCs), metal-based composites, polymers and others, is being used for Cr species removal from contaminated water and wastewater. The research progress and application of adsorption for Cr removal in recent years are reviewed, the mechanisms of adsorption are also discussed and the development trend of Cr treatment by adsorption is proposed.

Facile synthesis of polyoxometalate supported on magnetic graphene oxide as a hybrid catalyst for efficient oxidation of aldehydes

In the present study, Anderson-type polyoxometalate [N(C₄H₉)₄] [FeMo₆O₁₈(OH)₆] (FeMo₆) was immobilized on amino-modified magnetic graphene oxide and employed as a new hybrid catalyst in oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids. The synthesized hybrid catalyst Fe₃O₄/GO/[FeMo₆] was characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopies (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Raman spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The results indicated that our catalyst was quite active in oxidizing the aldehydes to their corresponding carboxylic acids in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The synthesized catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction medium and reused for six consecutive runs without a significant reduction in reaction efficiency.

Surface functionalization of bamboo leave mediated synthesized SiO2 nanoparticles: Study of adsorption mechanism, isotherms and enhanced adsorption capacity for removal of Cr (VI) from aqueous solution

Green synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) provides economic and environmental benefits as an alternative to chemical or physical methods. Furthermore, the surface properties of such NPs can be modulated by means of the functionalization with different groups making them suitable for various advanced functional applications including water pollutants removal using adsorption technique. In the present work, an eco-friendly synthesis route for nano-adsorbent SiO₂ NPs and subsequent surface modifications for enhanced adsorption capacity in removal of Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solution are reported. The green synthesis of SiO₂ NPs was carried out using simple bamboo leaves followed by surface modification with amine (A-SiO₂) and carboxylic (C-SiO₂) functional groups with aim to study the effect of functionalization on adsorption capacity. These nano-adsorbents were characterized by FTIR, SEM, XPS, BET, and zeta potential. and adsorption of Cr(VI) was studied at varying parameters i.e. NPs mass, contact time, and solution pH. The investigation shows interesting results revealing the importance of interactions between the surface functional groups on SiO₂ NPs and Cr(VI) species as well as experimental conditions for the choice of surface modifier to achieve a maximum adsorption capacity. The adsorption mechanism has been studied using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacity has been achieved in the case of A-SiO₂ NPs which was found to 174 mg/g and much higher than that of SiO₂ and C-SiO₂ NPs attributed to the selective adsorption and pH conditions. Additionally, A-SiO₂ NPs exhibit excellent recyclability indicating their suitability for promising and long term potential applications. This study provides a novel, simple and cost-effective synthesis/surface engineering technology for producing high performance recyclable nano-adsorbents for adsorptive removal of Cr(VI).

Waste NR Latex Based-Precursors as Carbon Source for CNTs Eco-Fabrications

In this work, the potential of utilizing a waste latex-based precursor (i.e., natural rubber glove (NRG)) as a carbon source for carbon nanotube (CNT) fabrication via chemical vapor deposition has been demonstrated. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis reveals that the separation of the lightweight hydrocarbon chain from the heavier long chain differs in hydrocarbon contents in the NRG fraction (NRG-L). Both solid NRG (NRG-S) and NRG-L samples contain >63% carbon, <0.6% sulfur and <0.08% nitrogen content, respectively, as per carbon-nitrogen-sulfur (CNS) analysis. Growth of CNTs on the samples was confirmed by Raman spectra, SEM and TEM images, whereby it was shown that NRG-S is better than NRG-L in terms of synthesized CNTs yield percentage with similar quality. The optimum vaporization and reaction temperatures were 350 and 800 °C, respectively, considering the balance of good yield percentage (26.7%) and quality of CNTs (I_D/I_G = 0.84 ± 0.08, diameter ≈ 122 nm) produced. Thus, utilization of waste NRG as a candidate for carbon feedstock to produce value-added CNTs products could be a significant approach for eco-technology.

Magnetite nanoparticles decorated on multi-walled carbon nanotubes for removal of Cu2+ from aqueous solution

Acid-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs-COOH) was prepared by acid treatment followed by decoration with magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs-COOH) by co-precipitation of Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ in the colloidal suspension of MWCNTs-COOH. The adsorption capacity and separation efficiency of these two adsorbents were investigated for the removal of Cu²⁺ ions in aqueous solution as water treatment adsorbents. The effect of reaction conditions, such as contact time, initial concentration of Cu²⁺ ions, and adsorbent dosage, on the adsorption capacity of MWCNTs-COOH was investigated. It was found that contact time of 10 min, adsorbent dosage of 0.2 g/L and 15 mg/L as initial concentration of Cu²⁺ ions are ideal conditions for maximum adsorption capacity (10.45 mg/g). The adsorption capacity of synthesized Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs-COOH containing different weight percent of Fe₃O₄ (10, 25, 50 wt%) was explored for removal of Cu²⁺ ions from aqueous solution and the best results achieved with 25 wt% Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs-COOH, which exhibited optimum adsorption capacity of 9.50 mg/g and 97% separation efficiency. Further, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to validate experimental data obtained in this work for Cu²⁺ adsorption.

A non-polluting method for rapidly purifying uranium-containing wastewater and efficiently recovering uranium through electrochemical mineralization and oxidative roasting

Iron-based materials have been widely used for treating uranium-containing wastewater. However, the iron-uranium solids originating by treating radioactive water through pollutant transfer methods has become a new uncontrolled source of persistent radioactive pollution. The safe disposal of such hazardous waste is not yet well-resolved. The electrochemical mineralization method was developed to rapidly purify uranium-containing wastewater through lattice doping in magnetite and recover uranium without generating any pollutants. An unexpected isolation of U₃O₈ from uranium-doped magnetite was discovered through in-situ XRD with a temperature variation from 300 °C to 700 °C. Through HRTEM and DFT calculation, it was confirmed that the destruction of the inverse spinel crystal structure during the gradual transformation of magnetite into γ-Fe₂O₃ and α-Fe₂O₃ promoted the migration, aggregation, and isolation of uranium atoms. Uniquely generated U₃O₈ and Fe₂O₃ were easily separated and over 80% uranium and 99.5% iron could be recovered. These results demonstrate a new strategy for uranium utilization and the environmentally friendly treatment of uranium-containing wastewater.

A comprehensive review on magnetic carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotube-based buckypaper for removal of heavy metals and dyes

Industrial effluents contain several organic and inorganic contaminants. Among others, dyes and heavy metals introduce a serious threat to drinking waterbodies. These pollutants can be noxious or carcinogenic in nature, and harmful to humans and different aquatic species. Therefore, it is of high importance to remove heavy metals and dyes to reduce their environmental toxicity. This has led to an extensive research for the development of novel materials and techniques for the removal of heavy metals and dyes. One route to the removal of these pollutants is the utilization of magnetic carbon nanotubes (CNT) as adsorbents. Magnetic carbon nanotubes hold remarkable properties such as surface-volume ratio, higher surface area, convenient separation methods, etc. The suitable characteristics of magnetic carbon nanotubes have led them to an extensive search for their utilization in water purification. Along with magnetic carbon nanotubes, the buckypaper (BP) membranes are also favorable due to their unique strength, high porosity, and adsorption capability. However, BP membranes are mostly used for salt removal from the aqueous phase and limited literature shows their applications for removal of heavy metals and dyes. This study focuses on the existence of heavy metal ions and dyes in the aquatic environment, and methods for their removal. Various fabrication approaches for the development of magnetic-CNTs and CNT-based BP membranes are also discussed. With the remarkable separation performance and ultra-high-water flux, magnetic-CNTs, and CNT-based BP membranes have a great potential to be the leading technologies for water treatment in future.

Catalytic conversion of plastic wastes using cost-effective bauxite residue as catalyst into H2-rich syngas and magnetic nanocomposites for chrome(VI) detoxification

Red mud (RM) as bauxite residue from aluminum plant was investigated as cost-effective catalyst for pyrolysis and ex-situ catalytic conversion of plastic wastes into H₂-rich syngas and magnetic carbon nanocomposites. The results showed that the introduction of RM catalyst elevated gas yield from 23.8 to 60.3 wt% as a rise of catalytic temperature (700-850 °C), due to its high iron activity for scission of polymer chains. Furthermore, the endothermic nature of cracking reactions of hydrocarbons led to the maximum H₂ production of 28.8 mmol g_feed^-1 and 63 vol% at 850 °C. The carbon/RM nanocomposites were comprehensively evaluated by multiple characterizations. High-resolution TEM indicated considerable carbon nanotubes(CNTs) depositing on the RM surface that modified iron sites dispersion and diminished nanoparticle size of iron at higher temperature of ≥800 °C. XRD and XPS results confirmed that higher temperature provided carbon components surrounding iron species to form metallic iron. The carbon/RMs were initially applied to chromium(VI) removal in sewage. RM-800 delivered high-profile adsorption capacity of 193.8 mg g^-1, mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of chemical reduction by sufficient Fe⁰ exposure and CNTs growth promoting electrostatic attraction and electron transfer capacity. Furthermore, the correlation mechanism between catalytic temperature and the evolution of products and was discussed.

Recycling electro-coagulated sludge from textile wastewater treatment plants as an adsorbent for the adsorptions of fluoride in an aqueous solution

This research investigated the high content of iron-based materials from recycled electro-coagulated (EC) sludge for the adsorptive removal of fluoride, and the properties of the material were characterized. The thermal activation of EC sludge in which the unwanted impurity was removed by beneficiation and thermally activated at 500 °C, and was used for fluoride removal. Basic operating parameters (mixing time, adsorbent dosage, adsorbate concentration, solution pH, and temperature) were examined to evaluate the optimum de-fluoridation capacity (DC). The functional groups, the crystalline structure, and surface morphology of thermally treated and raw EC sludge were analyzed using FTIR, XRD, and SEM, respectively, and demonstrates that thermally activated EC sludge contains significant content of magnetite and hematite. The optimum DC was recorded as 5.12 mg of F⁻/gm with experimental conditions: mixing time = 20 min, adsorbent dosage = 0.3 gm/100 ml, initial fluoride concentration = 1 mg/L, and pH = 5 at the temperature of 353 K. The Langmuir isotherm model was fitted, and the capacity is calculated as 6.43 mg/g. The adsorption process follows the Pseudo-Second-order kinetic models. It can be concluded that the prepared adsorbents have excellent fluoride removal capacity, and EC sludge can be used as an alternative adsorbent for de-fluoridation.

•

Iron-based oxides and hydroxides from the EC sludge were recovered and prepared for fluoride ion adsorption.

•

EC sludge as an iron-based adsorbent was synthesized by thermal activation at 500 °C.

•

Iron oxide adsorbents could efficiently remove fluoride ions from synthetically prepared water solutions.

•

The adsorption of fluoride followed a Langmuir isotherm pseudo-Second-order kinetic model.

•

The prepared adsorbents were regenerated in an aqueous solution and the reusability efficiency was up to the 4th cycle.

Nitrogen and sulfur codoped micro-mesoporous carbon sheets derived from natural biomass for synergistic removal of chromium(VI): adsorption behavior and computing mechanism

We reported the effective removal of chromium(VI) (Cr(VI)) from wastewater with nitrogen and sulfur codoped micro-mesoporous carbon sheets (N,S-MMCSs), which were fabricated by pyrolysis of natural biomass (luffa sponge) followed by chemical activation and hydrothermal treatment. N,S-MMCSs possessed a hierarchical micro-mesoporous sheet-like framework, large specific surface area (1525.45 m² g^-1), high pore volume (1.21 cm³ g^-1), and appropriate N (1.81 wt%) and S (1.01 wt%) co-doping. Batch adsorption experiments suggested that Cr(VI) adsorption by the N,S-MMCSs increased with increase the solution acidity, adsorbent dosage, Cr(VI) concentration, temperature, and time. The Cr(VI) adsorption was mainly controlled by the chemisorptions and could be well interpreted by the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The maximum adsorption capacities of Cr(VI) were 217.39, 277.78, and 312.50 mg g^-1 at 298, 308, and 318 K, respectively. The Cr(VI) adsorption procedure was spontaneous, endothermic, and randomness. The Cr(VI) adsorption mechanism followed the physical adsorption, electrostatic attraction, in situ reduction, and surface chelation. Besides, the density functional theory (DFT) calculation demonstrated that the N and S co-doping could decrease the adsorption energy and enhance the attractive interaction between N,S-MMCSs and Cr(VI) through the synergistic effect, and thus significantly improve the Cr(VI) adsorption property.

Magnetic magnesium ferrite-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes: an advanced treatment of chromium-containing wastewater

Magnetic magnesium ferrite (MgFe₂O₄) nanoparticles (MMFNPs) were synthesized by employing the sol-gel method. These nanoparticles were ultrasonically decorated onto the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to produce magnetic magnesium ferrite nanocomposites (MMFNCs). The as-prepared materials were investigated for their capability to treat wastewater loaded with heavy metals. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and zeta analyzer. Besides, the effect of the environmental chemistry of the solution was determined by varying the critical parameters. The adsorption isotherm of Cr(VI) adsorption onto the as-synthesized MMFNC best fitted the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The high adsorption capacity of 175.43 mg/g was achieved at a temperature of 40 °C under optimized conditions. Due to the magnetic nature of MMFNC, they are easily recoverable from the aqueous solution making them cost-friendly. Even after seven consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles, the MMFNC presented an efficiency loss of less than 20% for the removal of Cr(VI) ions. The presented development method offers prospects in developing a highly effective magnetic adsorbent for heavy metal removal from wastewater.

Hierarchically three-dimensional (3D) nanotubular sea urchin-shaped iron oxide and its application in heavy metal removal and solar-induced photocatalytic degradation

In this study, hierarchically three-dimensional (3D) nanotubular sea urchin-shaped iron oxide nanostructures (3D-Fe₂O₃) were synthesized by a facile and rapid ultrasound irradiation method. Additives, templates, inert gas atmosphere, pH regulation, and other complicated procedures were not required. Dense 3D-Fe₂O₃ with a relatively large Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of 129.4 m²/g was synthesized within 23 min, and the BET surface area was further improved to 282.7 m²/g by a post heat-treatment process. In addition, this post processing led to phase changes from maghemite (γ phase) to hematite (α phase) Fe₂O₃. Subsequent characterization suggested that the growth mechanism of the 3D-Fe₂O₃ follows self-assembly and oriented attachment. The prepared 3D-Fe₂O₃ was applied to wastewater purification. Ultrasound-irradiated 3D-Fe₂O₃ can eliminate a As(V) and Cr(VI) from water with 25 times faster removal rate by using a one third smaller amount than commercial α-Fe₂O₃. This was attributed to the inter-particle pores and relatively positively charged surface of the nanostructure. In addition, post heat treatment on ultrasound-irradiated 3D-Fe₂O₃ significantly influenced the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and phenol, with a 25 times higher removal efficiency than that of commercial α-Fe₂O₃, because of both high BET surface area and good crystallization of the prepared samples.

Solid-liquid separation: an emerging issue in heavy metal wastewater treatment

Solid-liquid separation (SLS) plays a dominant role in various chemical industries. Nowadays, low efficiency of SLS also become a significant problem in heavy metal (HM) wastewater treatment, affecting the effluent quality (HM concentration and turbidity) and overall process economy. In this context, we summarize here the occurrence of solids in HM wastewater, as well as typical SLS operations used in HM wastewater treatment, including sedimentation, flotation, and centrifugation. More important, this article reviews the improvement of the SLS operations by some technologies, including coagulation, flocculation, ballasted method, seeding method, granular sludge strategy, and external field enhancement. It is noted that abiological granular sludge strategy and magnetic field enhancement often possess higher SLS efficiency (faster settling velocity or shorter separation time) than other methods. Hence, the two strategies stand out as promising tools for improving SLS in HM wastewater treatment, but further research is required regarding scalability, economy, and reliability.

Comparative study on the synthesis of magnetic ferrite adsorbent for the removal of Cd(II) from wastewater

The magnetic ferrites were synthesized at ambient temperature through the precipitation method in aqueous solution at varying pH values and were used as novel adsorbents for heavy metal-containing wastewater treatment. The magnetic ferrites were applied for the removal of Cd(II) ion from wastewater. The synthesized magnetic ferrites were characterized by settling velocity, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, laser particles size analyzer, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The effects of pH value and contact time on the adsorption process were investigated. The magnetic ferrites had a saturation magnetization value of 82.30 emu/g and a settling velocity of 2%, indicating easy separation from aqueous solution under magnetic field. The adsorption of Cd(II) onto the magnetic ferrites followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm model. The most suitable pH condition for the synthesis of magnetic ferrite with optimal Cd(II) adsorption capacity was 9.0, and a maximum adsorption capacity of 160.91 mg/g for Cd(II) ions can be achieved. Based on the cost analysis, the magnetic ferrite was a cost-effective adsorbent for Cd-containing wastewater treatment.

Immobilization of uranium into magnetite from aqueous solution by electrodepositing approach

Immobilization of uranium into magnetite (Fe₃O₄), which was generated from metallic iron by electrochemical method, was proposed to rapidly remove uranium from aqueous solution. The effects of electrochemical parameters such as electrode materials, voltage, electrode gap, reaction time and pH value on the crystallization of Fe₃O₄ and uranium removal efficiencies were investigated. More than 90% uranium in the solution was precipitated with Fe₃O₄ under laboratory conditions when uranium concentration range from 0.5mg/L to 10mg/L. The Fe₃O₄ crystallization mechanism and immobilization of uranium was proved by XPS, XRD, TEM, FTIR and VSM methods. The results indicated that the cationic (including Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and U(VI)) migrate to cathode side under the electric field and the uranium was incorporated or adsorbed by Fe₃O₄ which was generated at cathode while the pH ranges between 2-7. The uranium-containing precipitate of Fe₃O₄ can exist stably at the acid concentration below 60g/L. Furthermore, the precipitate may be used as valuable resources for uranium or iron recycling, which resulted in no secondary pollution in the removal of uranium from aqueous solution.

Fe-FeS2 adsorbent prepared with iron powder and pyrite by facile ball milling and its application for arsenic removal

Arsenic is one of the major pollutants and a worldwide concern because of its toxicity and chronic effects on human health. An adsorbent of Fe-FeS2 mixture for effective arsenic removal was successfully prepared by mechanical ball milling. The products before and after arsenic adsorption were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The adsorbent shows high arsenic removal efficiency when molar ratio of iron to pyrite is 5:5. The experimental data of As(III) adsorption are fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model with a maximal adsorption capacity of 101.123 mg/g. And As(V) data were described perfectly by the Freundlich model with a maximal adsorption capacity of 58.341 L/mg. As(III) is partial oxidized to As(V) during the adsorption process. High arsenic uptake capability and cost-effectiveness of waste make it potentially attractive for arsenic removal.

Application of Scallop shell-Fe3O4 nanoparticles for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions

In this study, removal of Cr(VI) by Scallop shell-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles was investigated with variation of pH, adsorbent dosage, initial Cr(VI) concentration, ionic strength and temperature. Coating of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles onto Scallop shell was identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The maximum adsorption was observed at pH 3. Removal efficiency of Cr(VI) was increased with increasing adsorbent dosage, but was decreased with increasing initial Cr(VI) concentration and temperature. Removal efficiency of Cr(VI) was decreased in the presence of sulfate and carbonate ions. Adsorption kinetic study revealed that a pseudo-second order model better described the removal data than a pseudo-first order model and an intra-particle diffusion model. Maximum adsorption capacity was estimated to be 34.48 mg/g. Thermodynamic studies indicated that adsorption of Cr(VI) onto Scallop shell-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles occurred via an exothermic (ΔH = -320.88 KJ mol^-1) process. Adsorption efficiency of Cr(VI) by Scallop shell-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles was maintained even after eight successive cycles.

Fe3O4 nanoparticles encapsulated in multi-walled carbon nanotubes possess superior lithium storage capability

Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles are successfully introduced inside multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Fe₃O₄@MWNTs) by an innovative wet chemical injection method.

Cr(VI) Adsorption to Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticle-Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Adsorbents

  The aim of this study was to investigate the Cr(VI) adsorption to magnetic iron oxide(MIO) nanoparticle- multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in aqueous solutions using batch experiments. Results show that the maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) to MIO-MWCNTs was 11.256 mg/g. Kinetic model analysis demonstrates that the pseudo-second-order model and Elovich model are suitable for describing the kinetic data. Thermodynamic analysis indicates that Cr(VI) adsorption to MIO-MWCNTs decreased with increasing temperature from 5-60 °C, indicating the spontaneous and exothermic nature of the sorption process. Equilibrium isotherm analysis demonstrates that the Redlich-Peterson model suitably describes the equilibrium data. In the pH experiments, Cr(VI) adsorption to MIO-MWCNTs decreased gradually from 5.70-2.13 mg/g with increasing pH from 3.0-7.3. Sequential extraction indicates that, among the five binding forms of Cr(VI) associated with MIO-MWCNTs, the predominant contributions are the fraction bound to Fe-Mn oxides (57.82%) and the residual (23.38%).

One-Pot synthesis, characterization and adsorption studies of amine-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles for removal of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution: kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic studies

Background

Discharge of heavy metals such as hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) and nickel (Ni (II)) into aquatic ecosystems is a matter of concern in wastewater treatment due to their harmful effects on humans. In this paper, removal of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution was investigated using an amino-functionalized magnetic Nano-adsorbent (Fe₃O₄-NH₂).

Methods

An amino-functionalized magnetic Nano-adsorbent (Fe₃O₄-NH₂) was synthesized by compositing Fe₃O₄ with 1, 6-hexanediamine for removal of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution. The adsorbent was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM). Also, the effects of various operational parameters were studied.

Results

According to our finding, Fe₃O₄-NH₂ could be simply separated from aqueous solution with an external magnetic field at 30 s. The experimental data for the adsorption of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions revealed that the process followed the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity was 232.51 mg g⁻¹ for Cr (VI) at pH = 3 and 222.12 mg g⁻¹ and for Ni(II) at pH = 6 at 298 °K. Besides, the kinetic data indicated that the results fitted with the pseudo-second-order model (R²: 0.9871 and 0.9947 % for Cr (VI) and Ni (II), respectively. The results of thermodynamic study indicated that: standard free energy changes (ΔG^ɵ), standard enthalpy change (ΔH^ɵ), and standard entropy change (ΔS^ɵ) were respectively −3.28, 137.1, and 26.91 kJ mol⁻¹ for Cr (VI) and −6.8433, 116.7, and 31.02 kJ mol⁻¹ for Ni (II). The adsorption/desorption cycles of Fe₃O₄-NH₂ indicated that it could be used for five times.

Conclusions

The selected metals’ sorption was achieved mainly via electrostatic attraction and coordination interactions. In fact, Fe₃O₄-NH₂ could be removed more than 96 % for both Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution and actual wastewater.

A magnetically-separable Fe3O4nanoparticle surface grafted with polyacrylic acid for chromium(iii) removal from tannery effluents

A magnetically-separable nanoadsorbent was synthesized, and evaluated as an alternative for chromium(iii) removal from tannery effluent.