Effective parameters for the adsorption of chromium(III) onto iron oxide magnetic nanoparticle

Abstract

Most of the industrial wastewaters comprise toxic, biologically non-biodegradable, and heavy metals which tend to accumulate in the biological organisms causing different diseases. There are some novel technologies and strategies to remove these pollutants. Using the magnetic nanoparticles which are cheap, recyclable, and reusable can be considered as an effective method for removing the pollutants as they do not require conservation or complicated equipments. Using this method, dangerous and rare heavy metals can be restored to the industry. In this study, magnetic nanoparticles with the size of 30 nm were prepared and used for the removal of chromium from synthetic wastewater polluted by chromium sulfate. For this purpose, removal of various concentrations of chromium(III) from wastewater was investigated. The best concentration was achieved in the removal efficiency of 99.1 %. The optimal values of pH, rotation speed of magnetic stirrer, time, temperature, and the amount of nanoparticles were determined according to the primary concentration (500 mg/L). The mechanism of chromium adsorption onto iron oxide (Fe3O4) magnetic nanoadsorbent was also investigated. The results showed both Freundlich and Longmuir isotherms to be the best fit for the chromium adsorption, with Freundlich isotherm being more suitable.