Simultaneous removal of arsenate and arsenite from aqueous solutions by graphene oxide-zirconium (GO-Zr) nanocomposite

In this work, surface of graphene oxide (GO) was functionalized by zirconium (Zr). The GO-Zr nanocomposite was characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS and zeta-potential analysis. Sheets of the GO-Zr were strongly wrinkled and the layered structure of GO was disrupted after adsorption of Zr. The GO-Zr nanocomposite was applied for the removal of Arsenate (As(V)) and Arsenite (As(III)) from aqueous solutions. The dispersibility of GO-Zr nanocomposite in water changed remarkably after adsorption of arsenic and tendency to precipitate was observed. Experimental maximum adsorption capacity of GO-Zr nanocomposite was 232.52 and 212.33 mg g(-1) for As(V) and As(III), respectively. 100% removal efficiency of As(V) or As(III) was obtained by 2 mg ml(-1) of GO-Zr nanocomposite after similar to 20 min. Pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models provided excellent data fitting. Potential application of GO-Zr nanocomposite in analytical chemistry as adsorbent for the removal of trace As(V) and As(III) was resulted from its high maximum adsorption capacity, facile isolation from solution, high renewability and fast adsorption time. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.