Abstract
In the present study, trisodium citrate (TSC) modified magnetite (Fe3O4) nanocomposite was synthesized and characterized using various analytical techniques. The transmission electron microscope images show that the Fe3O4@TSC nanoparticles are well dispersed due to the presence of the TSC coating on Fe3O4, and the particles sizes are in the range of 5-10 nm. The S-BET and the total pore volume of Fe3O4@TSC are 245.42 m(2) g(-1) and 0.368 cm(3) g(-1), respectively. The saturation magnetization values of Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@TSC are 78.4 and 55.4 emu g(-1), respectively. The Fe3O4@TSC is a magnetic adsorbent and was used for the removal of Cr3+ and Co2+ metal ions from aqueous medium. The adsorption of both metal ions onto Fe3O4@TSC is rapid and efficient. The adsorption process is performed at diverse temperatures and the outcomes are investigated kinetically. The results show that adsorption was exothermic and followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Isotherm modelling reveals that the Langmuir equation described the adsorption of both metal ions. Moreover, the loaded Fe3O4@TSC could be recovered easily from aqueous solution by magnetic separation and regenerated by simply washing with 0.1 M HCl solution. Consequently, Fe3O4@TSC nanocomposite could be utilized as an efficient and recyclable adsorbent for the removal of toxic metal ions from aqueous solution.