Melamine-based dendrimer amine-modified magnetic nanoparticles as an efficient Pb(II) adsorbent for wastewater treatment: Adsorption optimization by response surface methodology

Magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles with an average diameter of 64 nm was synthesized solvothermically and subsequently modified with melamine-based dendrimer amine (MDA-Fe3O4) via grafting method. The synthesized materials were characterized using DLS, SEM, XRD, FTIR, VSM, TGA and elemental analysis techniques. The MDA-Fe3O4 was employed for the efficient removal of Pb(II) ions from an aqueous solution. The adsorption efficiency was investigated in relation to the independent variables of Pb(II) concentration (80-250 mg L−1), pH of the solution (3-7), adsorbent dosage (0.1-0.5 g L−1) and temperature (10-40 °C) via a central composite design (CCD) using response surface methodology (RSM). The significance of independent variables and their interactions was tested using ANOVA at a 95% confidence limit (α = 0.05). A second-order quadratic model was established to predict the adsorption efficiency. Under the optimum condition (initial Pb(II) concentration = 110 mg L−1, MDA-Fe3O4 dosage = 0.49 g L−1, pH = 5 and temperature = 30 °C) a removal percentage of 85.6% was obtained. The isotherm data fitted well to the Freundlich model within the concentration range of the experimental study. A maximum adsorption capacity of 333.3 mg g−1 was predicted by the Langmuir model. The adsorption rate of Pb(II) ions onto MDA-Fe3O4 was in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order model (R2 = 0.999; k2 = 4.7 × 10−4 g mg−1min−1). Thermodynamically, adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic. The MDA-Fe3O4 was successfully regenerated using 0.3 M HCl with little loss of adsorption capacity (≈7%) for five successive adsorption cycles.