The kinetics of the removal of copper ions from aqueous solutions using magnetic nanoparticles supported on activated carbon

Abstract

Removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution supplies is possible through the process of adsorption. One of these processes involves the preparation of magnetic nanoparticles on activated carbon (AC). Adsorbed coppre ions on the surface of Fe3O4-AC are separated from aqueous solutions using external magnetic fields. In the present study, magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized using the co-precipitation method. Fe3O4-supported AC was also used for the removal of copper ions from an aqueous solution. In additon, the effects of parameters such as pH, adsorbent dosage, and initial Cu(II) concentration on the removal process were investigated. The optimal conditions for the removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions were at the pH of 7, adsorbent dosage of 0.1 gram, and initial Cu(II) concentration of 10 mg/l. Removal percentage was estimated at 96.37% for Fe3O4-AC, while it was 61.52% for AC. Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models were also used in equilibrium studies. According to the findings, Temkin isotherm was well-fitted with the experimental data. In the kinetic studies, pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models were assessed, and the pseudo-first-order equation provided the optimal correlation with the obtained data.