Potential electromagnetic column treatment of heavy metal contaminated water using porous Gd2O3-doped graphene oxide nanocomposite: Characterization and surface interaction mechanisms

Abstract

Water contamination by heavy metal is a global issue. Here, used a facile method to prepare a porous hybrid nanomaterial of magnetic Gd2O3-doped graphene oxide (GGO) for remediation of water contaminated with Cr(III) and Pb(II). The structure and surface morphology of GGO were well characterized using XRD, magnetic measurement, FT-IR, XPS, SEM, and TEM data. Its surface area is larger compared to bare graphene oxide (GO) and iron oxide-doped GO, and the active surface functional groups enhance its adsorptive ability. The performance of GGO is significantly influenced by the pH, adsorbent dosage, initial metal concentration, and rate-limiting kinetics on homogeneous surfaces. Gd2O3 doping enhanced the adsorption ability of GO, achieving the respective maximum capacities of 17.97 and 83.04 mg/g for Cr(III) and Pb(II) at 0.5 g/L GGO, pH 4.0, 298 K, and 180 min. When GGO was applied to real water samples, the adsorptive removal rate satisfied the US EPA standards, and the material can be reused up to 3 cycles with more than 95 % and 70 % removal for Cr(III) and Pb(II), respectively. Therefore, GGO can be used for the potential removal of anions and cations from wastewater, including industrial effluents and groundwater.