Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
226850 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 2016 7 Pages PDF
Abstract

•γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles was synthesized by coprecipitation method.•The robust PVA–alginate magnetic beads have superior photocatalytic performance.•The highly porous structure allows easy diffusion of Hg(II) into the interiors of beads.•96% of Hg(II) was removed within 270 min at pH 11 under sunlight.•The removal of Hg(II) well fitted with Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) kinetic model.

Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were embedded in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and alginate matrix to produce beads that could be easily recovered with external magnetic field after treating mercury, Hg(II) in aqueous solution. 96% of Hg(II) was removed in 4 h under sunlight, at pH 11 and 16% (v/v) of photocatalyst dosage. FESEM results revealed that the beads possessed significant superporosity structure that greatly supported mass transfer of Hg(II) inside the beads. The removal of Hg(II) fitted well with Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) model exhibiting R2 (correlation coefficient) value of 0.9771. Thus, this study proved that it was feasible to treat Hg(II) solution with γ-Fe2O3–PVA–alginate beads.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering (General)
Authors
, , , , ,