Graphene oxide/Fe3O4/chitosan nanocomposite: a recoverable and recyclable adsorbent for organic dyes removal. Application to methylene blue

In this research, the potential of chitosan/Fe3O4/graphene oxide (CS/Fe3O4/GO) nanocomposite for efficient removal of methylene blue (MB) as a cationic dye from aqueous solutions was investigated. For this purpose, first, graphene oxide (GO) was prepared from pencil's graphite by Hummer's method, then after, CS/Fe3O4/GO was synthesized via chemical co-precipitation method from a mixture solution of GO, Fe3+, Fe2+ and chitosan. The synthesized CS/Fe3O4/GO was characterized by XRD, VSM and SEM techniques. Also, the various parameters affecting dye removal were investigated. Dye adsorption equilibrium data were fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm rather than Freundlich isotherm. The maximum monolayer capacity (q(max)), was calculated from the Langmuir as 30.10 mg.g(-1). The results show that, CS/Fe3O4/GO nanocomposite, can be used as a cheap and efficient adsorbent for removal of cationic dyes from aqueous solutions.