Document Abstract
New magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4)/activated charcoal (AC)/β-cyclodextrin (CD)/sodium
alginate (Alg) polymer nanocomposite materials were prepared by direct mixing of the polymer matrix
with the nanofillers. The obtained materials were utilized as nano-adsorbents for the elimination
of methylene blue (MB), a hazardous water-soluble cationic dye, from aqueous solutions, and
showed excellent regeneration capacity. The formation of the nanocomposites was followed by
high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy
(FTIR), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and adsorption of N2 at
−196 ◦C. The rate of adsorption was investigated varying several factors, namely contact time,
pH, amount of adsorbent and MB concentration on the adsorption process. Studies dealing with
equilibrium and kinetics were carried out in batch conditions. The obtained results indicated that the
removal rate of MB was 99.53% in 90 min. Langmuir’s isotherm fitted better to the equilibrium data
of MB. Fe3O4/AC/CD/Alg polymer beads shows amazing adsorption capacities in the elimination
of cationic dyes (2.079 mg/g for polymer gel beads and 10.63 mg g−1
for dry powder beads), in
comparison to other adsorbent materials. The obtained adsorbent is spherical with hydrophobic
cross-linked surface properties that enable an easy recovery without any significant weight loss of in
the adsorbent used.