ADSORPTION PROPERTIES OF MAGNETITE NANOPARTICLES FOR THE REMOVAL OF HEAVY METALS FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION

ABSTRACT
This study investigated the applicability of magnetite nanoparticles as a powerful adsorbent for the batch-mode removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The magnetite nanoparticles, synthesized by the chemical co-precipitation technique, were characterized using XRD, SEM-EDX, TEM, and FT-IR measurements. The influence of the initial pH, contact time, mass of magnetite, and initial metal ion concentration on the removal efficiency of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions was investigated. Adsorption data were consistent with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetics. The adsorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions by magnetite nanoparticles was demonstrated by the thermodynamic parameters to be an endothermic and favorable process. Utilizing HCl, magnetite adsorbent can be efficiently regenerated up to five times. It can be concluded that magnetite nanoparticles can be used as an environmentally friendly alternative adsorbent to remove Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions.