Hematite nanopowder obtained from waste: Iron-removal sludge

• Hematite nanopowder (HM NP) was obtained from iron removal sludge wastes.
• XRD data showed that HM NP contains > 99% α-Fe2O3 with ~ 42 nm average particle size.
• The material was characterized by Ms of ~ 1.5 emu/g and Mr of ~ 0.9 emu/g.
• The HM NP specific surface area was 14 m2/g, and the average pore size was 17.2 nm.
• This powder has high potential for use in the preparation of sorbents for water purification.

X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy techniques were employed to confirm that heavy-tonnage iron-removal sludge wastes could be successfully used to synthesize hematite nanopowder (HM NP) with an average particle size of 42 nm. The sizes of the HM NP particles were confirmed from the TEM images. The hematite particles mostly exhibit elongated irregular oval shapes and their sizes vary within 18–74 nm, with a dominant fraction at 42–46 nm. The obtained HM NPs were characterized by a saturation magnetization of ~ 1.5 emu/g and a remanent magnetization of ~ 0.9 emu/g. Low-temperature nitrogen adsorption measurements showed that the obtained powder had a large specific surface area (S = 14 m2/g) and well-developed mesoporosity (average pore size, 17.2 nm). A comparison of the obtained results to data from other researchers suggests that this hematite powder has high potential for use in the preparation of sorbents for water purification.

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