Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution by rice husk derived magnetic sorbents

• Published in: The Korean journal of chemical engineering 2016, 33(4), 193, pp.1416-1424
• Main Authors: Fan, Yuan, Yang, Ruifeng, Lei, Zhimin, Liu, Na, Lv, Jialiang, Zhai, Shangru, Zhai, Bin, Wang, Lei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biotechnology; Catalysis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Materials Science; Separation Technology; Thermodynamics; 화학공학
• ISSN: 0256-1115; 1975-7220
• DOI: 10.1007/s11814-015-0248-y

A novel magnetic porous sorbent obtained from agricultural waste rice husk was successfully synthesized through a simple carbon-thermal method. The sorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, N2 sorption analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The removal efficiency of the sorbent for Cr(VI) was also investigated. Chromium adsorption was fitted by the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. The maximum chromium adsorption capacity, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, and average Barrett-Joyner-Halenda pore size of the magnetic sorbent were 157. 7mg·g −1 , 134. 1m 2 ·g −1 , and 4. 99 nm, respectively. The saturated magnetization of the novel adsorbent was 77. 8 emu·g −1 , indicating that the material can facilitate separation and recovery from aqueous systems. The removal mechanisms of Cr(VI) were also discussed. The result illustrates that rice husk-derived magnetic carbonaceous materials are a potential adsorbent for Cr(VI) pollution treatment and provide a suitable method for the effective conversion of biomass waste, which may solve the problem of waste disposal and widen the applications of the materials.