Removal of lead ions from industrial wastewater using magnetite loaded on silica support

Abstract

A SERIES of magnetite supported silica (Fe3O4/SiO2) nanoparticles with different Fe3O4 loadings was prepared by co-precipitation method. Structural characteristics of the prepared adsorbents were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The magnetic property was also determined. The adsorption performance of the samples was assessed in the removal of lead ions from aqueous solution. Experiments have been performed to study the effects of several parameters including solution pH, time, initial metal ion concentration and adsorbent weight on the sorption efficiency. The results of the adsorption experiments indicated that the obtained adsorbents have excellent adsorption ability for the removal of lead ions.