Development of sorption materials based on iron(III)-chloride-modified graphene oxide for selective removal of organic pollutants from aquatic media

Abstract

The present work is aimed at developing an effective graphene-based sorbent for liquid-phase sorption of organic pollutants from aquatic media. The material synthesized in accordance with the method proposed represents a nanostructured composite possessing the hydrogel properties: structured three-dimensional carbon framework surface-modified with iron nanoparticles (i.e., graphene oxide (GO)/Fe-H2O). Moreover, the proportion of dry matter in the hydrogel was revealed by drying to a constant weight at a given temperature (110 °C), and the powdery form (GO/Fe-110) of the composite was obtained. Besides, the aerogel (GO/Fe-250) of the composite developed was formed, for which the hydrogel synthesized was subjected to hydrothermal drying in isopropanol for 6 h under supercritical conditions. The morphological, structural and porous characteristics of all these materials were determined. The sorption capacity of the nanocomposites was estimated for the removal (under dynamic conditions) of the synthetic organic dye, methylene blue, used as a target pollutant. The results of the studies showed that the maximum sorption capacity of the GO/Fe-H2O, GO/Fe-110 and GO/Fe-250 are ∼2500, ∼1500 and ∼2300 mg g−1, respectively. Besides, the high rate of the target pollutant removal from the aquatic media is a distinctive feature of the composites developed herein.