Remediation of persistent organic pollutants through statistical treatment using the CoFe₂O₄@Fe₃O₄-based magnetic nanocomposite

Author(s)

Costa, Jose Arnaldo S. ; Oliveira, Rhayza Victoria M. ; Menezes, Thalles Henrique S. ; Costa, Vinicius C. ; Roma, Luciane P. C. ; Paranhos, Caio Marcio

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Inorganic Chemistry Communications; v. 159, p. 10-pg., 2023-11-25.

Abstract

In the present study, the CoFe2O4@Fe3O4-based magnetic nanocomposite was synthesized and applied as an adsorbent material in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) remediation, which include phenanthrene (Phe), benzo[b]fluoranthene (B[b]F), benzo[k]fluoranthene (B[k]F), and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). The experimental conditions were investigated using a factorial experimental design (24) with the aim of carrying out a systematic evaluation of the solution pH, equilibrium time, concentration of pollutants, and magnetic nano composite mass. The characterization of the CoFe2O4@Fe3O4 adsorbent by the FTIR and XRD analyses showed success in the formation of magnetic nanoparticles. In addition, the SEM-EDS analysis exhibited images of nanometric spheres, uniform morphology, and the presence of Fe, Co and O as main components, as well as a type IV isotherms with H1 hysteresis as a typical formation of a mesoporous nanocomposite with high surface area (244.28 m(2) g(-1)) and large pore volume (0.19 cm(3) g(-1)). The statistical treatment revealed that the pH and the adsorption time are variables that little or nothing influenced the adsorptive properties of the CoFe2O4@-Fe3O4 to remove the PAHs mixture, contrary to the PAHs concentration and the CoFe2O4@Fe3O4 mass, which are important variables. Finally, the best experimental conditions were obtained for the adsorption tests between 13 (pH 3, time = 5 min, concentration = 1000 mu g L-1, and mass = 50 mg) and 16 (pH 10, time = 200 min, concentration = 1000 mu g L-1, and mass = 50 mg), whose overall desirability (OD) values were 1.00 and removal efficiency varied between 92.40 and 96.60 %; 95.00-97.00 %; 90.80-96.30 %; and 93.50-96.80 %, respectively, for Phe, B[b]F, B[k]F, and B[a]P. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/07296-2 - CDMF - Center for the Development of Functional Materials
• Grantee: Elson Longo da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC
• FAPESP's process: 17/06775-5 - Development of tunable hybrid polymeric membranes for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) remediation from petroleum
• Grantee: José Arnaldo Santana Costa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 14/50945-4 - INCT 2014: National Institute for Alternative Technologies of Detection, Toxicological Evaluation and Removal of Micropollutants and Radioactivies
• Grantee: Maria Valnice Boldrin
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants