Abstract
The use of carboxylated graphene oxide (CGO) in the removal of organic pollutants from aquatic life is a recent and significant issue. In this study, EDTA-functionalized magnetite-carboxylated graphene oxide nanocomposite (EDTA-MCGO) was first used for the adsorptive removal of p-phenylenediamine (PDA) from industrial wastewaters. Based on the great surface area of the magnetic nanocomposite and the huge number of carboxyl groups from CGO and EDTA, multiple interactions to adsorb PDA can be anticipated. The maximum adsorption capacity of EDTA-MCGO was 994.75 mg g(-1) at pH 7.8 and this value was decreased to 94.7% after seven cycles. The adsorption process was spontaneous and fits the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. PDA strongly deposited on the EDTA-MCGO surface via different electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding. The PDA removal efficiency from different environmental wastewaters was 98.6 +/- 0.6%. All the results demonstrate that the EDTA-MCGO nanocomposite is a potential magnetic extractor of aromatic contaminants from aquatic life.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT