REMOVAL OF Cd(II) FROM WATER BY USING GRAPHENE OXIDE–MnFe2O4 MAGNETIC NANOHYBRIDS

Abstract

In this work, graphene oxide–manganese ferrite (GO–MnFe2O4) magnetic nanohybrids were synthesized by co–precipitation technique. The adsorption properties of GO–MnFe2O4 for efficient removal of Cd(II) from contaminated water were investigated. The nanohybrids were characterized by using X–ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area (BET), transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). VSM result showed the high saturation magnetization values Ms = 27.1 emu/g, the BET specific surface area was 84.236 m2/g. Adsorption experiments were carried out to evaluate the adsorption capacity of the GO–MnFe2O4 magnetic nanohybrids and compared with MnFe2O4 nanoparticles and GO nanosheets. The equilibrium time for adsorption of Cd(II) onto the nanohybrids was 240 minutes. Experimental adsorption data were well–fitted to the Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo–second–order kinetic equation. The experimental results showed that adsorption of Cd(II) using GO–MnFe2O4 magnetic nanohybrids was better than MnFe2O4 and GO with a maximum adsorption capacity of 121.951 mg/g at pH 8. Reusability, ease of magnetic separation, high removal capacity, and fast kinetics lead the GO–MnFe2O4 nanohybrids to be promising adsorbents for removal heavy metals from contaminated water.