Removal of hexavalent chromium in wastewater by polyacrylamide modified iron oxide nanoparticle

Abstract

ABSTRACT Iron oxide nanoparticle has been successfully modified by polyacrylamide and the polyacrylamide modified magnetic nanoparticles (PMMNs) were applied to remove Cr(VI) in wastewater. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) spectra indicated the large saturation magnetization and superparamagnetic property of the PMMNs. This made the polyacrylamide modified iron oxide easily separate with liquid phase. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) results showed that both the synthesized iron oxide and the PMMNs were nanoscale. Batch adsorption studies had been carried out to determine the effect of pH, contact time, Cr(VI) initial concentration, and coexisting salts on the adsorption of Cr(VI). Maximum removal (98.30%) was observed from an initial concentration of 100 mg L −1 Cr(VI) at pH 3.0, 30°C. This process followed pseudo‐second‐order kinetics model and the equilibrium time was 40 min. The experimental data fitted the Langmuir isotherm better than Freundlich. Maximum adsorption amount of Cr(VI) by PMMN was 35.186 mg g −1 . The effect of coexisting salts on Cr(VI) removal was not apparent even the concentration of salt was 10 times as big as the low concentration, 0.01 M . It had been proposed that the mechanism of Cr(VI) uptake onto PMMN was adsorption‐coupled reduction. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131 , 40945.