Highly Adsorptive Filter Based On Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Dye Removal from Aqueous Solutions
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
Dyes are major contaminants in the industrial effluents which cause adverse effects
to living beings. Today, the removal of these dyes plays a major role in water
purification processes. The nanoscale iron oxides as a high adsorptive filter material
can be identified as a versatile dye removal method. Due to high abundance and low
cost, ferruginous laterite can be considered as an alternative iron source for the
synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles. This work was performed to synthesis iron
oxide nanoparticles using laterite through an obvious and innovative route and to
evaluate their potential dye adsorptive removal behavior. First, powdered laterite
was reacted with HCl to extract Fe' ions as we have studied previously. The
digested solution separated by centrifugation was mixed with urea and heated in
reflux condition for 5 h. Then the resultant precipitate was separated, dried and
calcined for 2 h at 650 °C to obtain iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). Synthesized
nanoparticles were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Thermo
Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer and
X-ray Diffractometer (XRD). SEM images revealed the spherical morphology of
particles with 50 nm average particle sizes of the iron oxide nanoparticles, while
FTIR and XRD data confirmed the presence of hematite crystalline phase. IONPs
were used as an absorbent in a specially designed laboratory scale filter apparatus
and several aqueous solutions of acid dyes were used as an adsorbates. The
adsorption behavior was evaluated by varying the dye concentration and inlet flow
rate of the filter and analyzing the filtrate by UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The filter
proved to be effective in removing these dyes fully when the dye concentration is as
high as 1000 ppm.
Keywords: Laterite, Hematite, Nanoparticles, Adsorption, Filter
Description
Keywords
Materials Sciences, Mineral Sciences