Preparation and characterization of polyethyleneimine functionalized magnetic graphene oxide as high uptake and fast removal for Hg (II)

Polyethyleneimine functionalized magnetic graphene oxide adsorbent (PEI-mGO) was synthesized by introducing polyethyleneimine onto Fe3O4/graphene oxide. The structures and morphologies of PEI-mGO was identified by using Fourier-tranform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) methods. Quantities of bar-like Fe3O4 nanoparticles were observed on the surfaces of PEI-mGO. The adsorption of PEI-mGO for Cu(II), Pb(II), Hg(II), Co(II) and Cd(II) was compared. The adsorption results indicated that PEI-mGO showed higher uptake for Hg(II) than the other ions. The influence of various variables for the adsorption of Hg(II) on PEI-mGO was explored. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm could be described well by the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. The maximal uptake of PEI-mGO for Hg(II) from Langmuir model was 857.3 mg g(-1), which was higher than that reported previously. The adsorption removal was a fast and endothermic process governed by the chemical process. The uptake increased with increasing temperature. PEI-mGO showed an excellent performance for removal of Hg(II) with 93.3% removal efficiency from simulated wastewater. Adsorption-desorption cycled experiments indicated that PEI-mGO could be recycled. PEI-mGO could be easily separated from the adsorbed solution by using a magnet. Hence, this novel adsorbent would be promising for the removal of Hg(II) from wastewater.