Preparation and characterization of laurel plant seed/fe3o4 magnetic nanocoposites and investigation of methylene blue removal capacity from wastewater

The presence of dyestuffs in wastewater has become a major issue today. These pollutants have begun to emerge as hazardous new pollutants. Methylene blue is one of the dyestuffs mostly used for colouring products such as textile, leather, paper, plastics, etc. industries. This colourant poses a great danger to human health due to its serious damage to the respiratory system and eyes. In the presence study, low-cost, environmentally friendly laurel seed powder (DÇT)/Fe3O4 magnetic nanocomposites were prepared for the removal of methylene blue dyestuff. The characterisations of magnetic nanoparticles were carried out by XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, VSM and EDX studies. Then, laurel seed powder/Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles were used for the removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution. For this purpose, optimal parameters such as contact time, initial dye concentration and pH were determined. The contact time was 60 min and 10 mg/L methylene blue solution. Initial pH value was found to be pH 8.0 and qe and pHpzc were found to be 1.925 mg/g and 6.70, respectively. In the kinetic and thermodynamic studies, it was determined that the adsorption of methylene blue on DCT-Fe3O4 followed the Ho-Mckay kinetic model (Pseudo-second order). The activation energy Ea was calculated as 9.30 kcal/mol (38.93 kj/mol). Activation enthalpy (ΔH) and activation entropy (ΔS) were calculated as 36.01 kj/mol and -138.78 j/mol, respectively. The values calculated at 298, 308 and 318 K for the activation free energy (ΔG) were determined as 77.36, 78.75 and 80.01 kj/mol, respectively. In the desorption experiments, CH3COOH was determined as the best desorbing agent at the 2nd hour. The desorption percentage determined in this time of period was 84.63%.