Magnetic mesoporous Fe/carbon aerogel structures with enhanced arsenic removal efficiency

• Mesoporous Fe/CA structures with high specific surface areas of 487 m2/g.
• Mesoporous Fe/CA structures with higher arsenic adsorption capacity than other adsorbents.
• Mesoporous Fe/CA structures are a potential adsorbent for As(V) ion adsorption.

Wastewater treatment has drawn significant research attention due to its associated environmental issues. Adsorption is a promising method for treating wastewater. The development of an adsorbent with a high surface area is important. Therefore, we successfully developed mesoporous Fe/carbon aerogel (CA) structures with high specific surface areas of 487 m2/g via the carbonization of composite Fe3O4/phenol–formaldehyde resin structures, which were prepared using a hydrothermal process with the addition of phenol. The mesoporous Fe/CA structures were further used for the adsorption of arsenic ions with a maximum arsenic-ion uptake of calculated 216.9 mg/g, which is higher than that observed for other arsenic adsorbents. Ferromagnetic behavior was observed for the as-prepared mesoporous Fe/CA structures with an excellent response to applied external magnetic fields. As a result, the adsorbent Fe/CA structures can be easily separated from the solution using an external magnetic field. This study develops the mesoporous Fe/CA structures with high specific surface areas and an excellent response to an applied external magnetic field to provide a feasible approach for wastewater treatment including the removal of arsenic ions.

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