Mesoporous magnetic carbon nanocomposite fabrics for highly efficient Cr(VI) removal

We have demonstrated that magnetic carbon nanocomposite fabrics prepared by microwave assisted heating are advanced adsorbents in the removal of Cr(VI) with a much higher removal capacity of 3.74 mg g(-1) compared to 0.32 mg g(-1) for cotton fabrics and 0.46 mg g(-1) for carbon fabrics. The enhanced Cr(VI) removal is attributed to the highly porous structure of the nanocomposites. The adsorption kinetics follow the pseudo-second-order model, which reveals a very large adsorption capacity and high adsorption rate. The removal process takes only 10 min, which is much faster than conventional adsorbents such as activated carbon and biomass that often requires hours of operation. The significantly reduced treatment time and the large adsorption capacity make these nanocomposite fabrics promising for the highly efficient removal of heavy metals from polluted water.