Magnetic adsorbents for selective removal of selenite from contaminated water

ABSTRACT

Novel meso- and microporous tire-derived carbon framework as a support for magnetic iron oxide nanoparticle adsorbents (MNA) that selectively adsorb selenite (Se(IV)) ions from contaminated water has been developed. Carbon-supported magnetic nanoparticle adsorbents (C-MNA) displayed higher adsorption values compared to MNA from 5 to 50 ppm selenite concentrations, maximizing at 48 ± 5 mg/g capacity with >99% Se removal at pH 3 and 5, and outperforms MNA at pH 7. These improvements will expand the range of water sources that can be treated, as well as easing adsorbent collection through magnetic separation.

KEYWORDS:

• Selenium removal
• tire derived carbon support
• iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles
• adsorbents
• water treatments

Acknowledgments

The carbon synthesis research (MPP) was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division. SFE is grateful for a fellowship from the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Graduate Education. CT was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Magnetic property measurements (JQY) was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division.

This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US DOE. The U.S. Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The US DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering.