Preparation of Fe 3 O 4 /graphene oxide nanocomposites on activated carbon for As(V) removal from aqueous solutions

In this report, a new nanocomposite, magnetic graphene oxide on activated carbon (MGO/AC) material was synthesized by the co-precipitation method. This synthesized nanocomposite was employed for the removal of As(V) from an aqueous solution. The MGO/AC adsorbent was subjected to characterization using FE-SEM, XRD, EDX, BET, FTIR, and Raman spectra. These techniques determined the morphological structure and properties of nanocomposite materials. The adsorption process of MGO/AC is described by a pseudo-second-order model. At the equilibrium state, near room temperature, the MGO/AC material adsorbs As(V) with an equilibrium adsorption capacity of 14.25 mg/g. The maximum adsorption efficiency of As(V) was about 98% after 60 min with a specific surface area of 708.25 m 2 /g. Results also show the adsorption capacity of As(V) by the composite was higher than that of activated carbon and magnetic graphene oxide material. Therefore, the use of the MGO/AC adsorbent has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in removing heavy metal ions and can be considered a promising and innovative material for water treatment.