Facile fabrication of FeO@Mg(OH) magnetic composites and their application in Cu() ion removal

• Published in: RSC advances 2023-11, Vol.13 (47), p.3343-33412
• Main Authors: Zhu, Jiachen, Li, Ping, Yang, Bowen, Lan, Shengjie, Chen, Weiyuan, Zhu, Donghai
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/d3ra05961h

In this study, we fabricated magnetic Fe 3 O 4 @Mg(OH) 2 composites through the seed deposition technique to achieve Cu( ii ) ion removal from aqueous solutions. As indicated by the characterization results, three-dimensional flower-like spheres composed of external Mg(OH) 2 were formed, with nano-Fe 3 O 4 particles uniformly embedded in the "flower petals" of the spheres. The efficacy of Fe 3 O 4 @Mg(OH) 2 -3 in Cu( ii ) ion removal was examined through batch experiments. The impact of solution pH on removal efficiency was examined, and the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model provided good fits to the adsorption kinetics and isotherm data, respectively. Remarkably, Fe 3 O 4 @Mg(OH) 2 -3 exhibited a significant removal capacity of 1051.65 mg g −1 for Cu( ii ) ions. Additionally, the composite displayed a notable saturation magnetization value of 17.3 emu g −1 , facilitating isolation from sample solutions through external magnetic fields after Cu( ii ) ion absorption. At the solid-liquid interface, a mechanism involving ion exchange between Mg( ii ) and Cu( ii ) cations was realized as the mode of Cu( ii ) ion removal. The composites' effective adsorption properties and rapid magnetic separation highlighted their suitability for use in treating copper-contaminated water. Fe 3 O 4 @Mg(OH) 2 composites were prepared through a facile and environment-friendly method. The composites have superparamagnetic properties, allowing easy recycling, and a high adsorption capacity toward Cu( ii ) ions.