Removal of Bisphenol A from Water by Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Loaded with Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Abstract

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) loaded with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared by the arc discharge method and air heat treatment. The nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, etc. The results showed that the heat-treated nanocomposites (SWCNTs/FexOy) had iron oxide phases and superparamagnetic properties with a saturation magnetization of 33.32 emu/g. Compared with the non-heat-treated materials, SWCNTs/FexOy had a larger specific surface area and pore volume. Using SWCNTs/FexOy to remove the organic contaminant (bisphenol A, BPA), it was found that under the conditions of pH = 3 and adsorbent dosage of 0.2 g/L, the maximum adsorption capacity of the composite was 117 mg/g, and the adsorption could reach more than 90% in only 5 min when the BPA content was below 0.05 mmol/L. The fitting results of the Langmuir and D-R models are more consistent with the experimental data, indicating a relatively uniform distribution of the adsorption sites and that the adsorption process is more consistent with physical adsorption. The kinetic calculations showed that the SWCNTs/FexOy exhibits chemical effects on both the surface and the gap, and the adsorption process is controlled by the π-π bonds and the hydrophobicity of the SWCNTs/FexOy.