Biomass activated carbon supported with high crystallinity and dispersion Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle for preconcentration and effective degradation of methylene blue

Abstract

Abstract Biomass activated carbon (BAC) supported Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle (Fe 3 O 4 /BAC) was synthesized with solvothermal method and used as adsorbent and Fenton-like reagent for preconcentration and degradation of methylene blue (MB) from an aqueous solution in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). The material was characterized with X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometer, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope, and the results all proved that magnetic nanoparticle was loaded on BAC successfully. The loaded Fe 3 O 4 possessed high crystallinity, uniform particle size, and good dispersibility on BAC. Methylene blue (MB) was selected as a model pollutant to investigate the degradation performance in the presence of H 2 O 2 . The removal efficiency reached more than 98% for 100 mg/L MB with 1.2 g/L of Fe 3 O 4 /BAC (1:2) and 0.23 mol/L of H 2 O 2 under the condition of pH 7.0 and temperature of 30 °C. Over 80% of MB could be still removed after five times of recycle reaction. MB was adsorbed on the surface of the Fe 3 O 4 /BAC to form a surface composites by BAC, then Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle could produce hydroxyl radicals (•OH) through catalytic decomposition of H 2 O 2 , and the strong oxidizing •OH radicals could degrade MB effectively. The Fe 3 O 4 /BAC shows good potential for advanced oxidation of organic pollutants.