Removal of Cd (II) Ion from Aqueous Solution Using Nickel Ferrite Magnetic Nanoparticles Cross–Linked Chitosan

Abstract

Cadmium is one of the non-biodegradable and extremely toxic heavy metals that enter into the aquatic environment by various sources. In order to provide a safe and clean water supply to the public, there is a crucial need to take some measures for removal of cadmium from wastewaters prior to their disposal in the environment. In the present study, a NiFe2O4-CS magnetic nanocomposite was prepared by a cross–linking reaction of chitosan with nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles using glutaraldehyde as the cross–linking agent. The structure, morphology, and magnetic behavior of the NiFe2O4-CS were characterized by FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, VSM analysis. The adsorption property of Cd (II) onto NiFe2O4-CS composite and the different factors that affect the adsorption, such as pH value, contact time, initial Cd (II) concentration, and the presence of foreign metal ions were extensively investigated. The Cd (II) removal efficiency of 95% was obtained within 60 min at pH 7.0 with initial Cd (II) concentration of 10 mg/L using CS/NiFe2O4. High amine and hydroxyl density of chitosan facilitated the chelation with Cd (II) ions, resulting in efficient adsorption. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided the best fit to experimental adsorption data and the equilibrium data could be well described by Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Adsorption/desorption results demonstrated that reusability of prepared NiFe2O4-CS was considerable. The results showed that NiFe2O4-CS could be employed as an effective and potential adsorbent for application in the removal of Cd (II) from wastewater.