Manganese-incorporated iron(III) oxide–graphene magnetic nanocomposite: synthesis, characterization, and application for the arsenic(III)-sorption from aqueous solution

Abstract

High specific surface area of graphene (GR) has gained special scientific attention in devel- oping magnetic GR nanocomposite aiming to apply for the remediation of diverse environmental problems like point-of-use water purification and simultaneous separation of contaminants applying low external magnetic field (\1.0 T) from ground water. Fabrica- tion of magnetic manganese-incorporated iron(III) oxide (Mnx 2? Fe2-x 3? O4 2- ) (IMBO)-GR nanocom- posite is reported by exfoliating the GR layers. Latest microscopic, spectroscopic, powder X-ray diffraction, BET surface area, and superconducting quantum interference device characterizations showed that the material is a magnetic nanocomposite with high specific surface area (280 m 2 g -1 ) and pore volume (0.3362 cm 3 g -1 ). Use of this composite for the immobilization of carcinogenic As(III) from water at 300 K and pH *7.0 showed that the nanocomposite has higher binding efficiency with As(III) than the IMBO owing to its high specific surface area. The composite showed almost complete ((99.9 %) As(III) removal (B10 l gL -1 ) from water. External magnetic field of 0.3 T efficiently separated the water dispersed composite (0.01 g/10 mL) at room temperature (300 K). Thus, this composite is a promising material which can be used effectively as a potent As(III) immobilizer from the contaminated groundwater ((10 l gL -1 ) to improve drinking water quality.