Magnetic Chitosan Nanocomposites Derived from Industrial Solid Waste: A Promising Approach for Arsenic(III) Remediation

Abstract

In this paper, the “waste to adsorbent” strategy was proposed to synthesize Fe3O4 nanoparticles using the ultrasonic-assisted coprecipitation method from Bayer industrial waste. The nanoparticles were combined with chitosan (CS) to enhance their physicochemical properties. The well-covered CS on the surface of Fe3O4 is characterized by the nanocomposite’s saturation magnetization of 50.2 emu/g, zeta potential of −14.2 mV, and specific surface area of 93.64 m2/g. The highest percentage removal efficiency was 96.73% at pH 4, with the adsorbent dosage of 0.5 g/L and the As(III) concentration of 10 mg/L, which suggests that the material is an ideal adsorbent for arsenic(III) remediation. Furthermore, the effects, kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamic study of the As(III) adsorption process in an aqueous solution of Fe3O4/CS nanocomposites were thoroughly investigated.