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Magnetite nanoparticles for removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions: synthesis and characterization

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Abstract

Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation method. The structural characterization showed an average nanoparticle size of 8 nm. The synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles were tested for the treatment of synthetic aqueous solutions contaminated by metal ions, i.e. Pb(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Mn(II). Experimental results show that the adsorption capacity of Fe3O4 nanoparticles is maximum for Pb(II) and minimum for Mn(II), likely due to a different electrostatic attraction between heavy metal cations and negatively charged adsorption sites, mainly related to the hydrated ionic radii of the investigated heavy metals. Various factors influencing the adsorption of metal ions, e.g., pH, temperature, and contacting time were investigated to optimize the operating condition for the use of Fe3O4 nanoparticles as adsorbent. The experimental results indicated that the adsorption is strongly influenced by pH and temperature, the effect depending on the different metal ion considered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia

    Liliana Giraldo

  2. Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Alessandro Erto

  3. Departamento de Química, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia

    Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján

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  1. Liliana Giraldo
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  2. Alessandro Erto
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  3. Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján
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Correspondence to Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján.

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Giraldo, L., Erto, A. & Moreno-Piraján, J.C. Magnetite nanoparticles for removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions: synthesis and characterization. Adsorption 19, 465–474 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-012-9468-1

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