Composite material carboxymethylcellulose – graphene oxide decorated with iron nanoparticles for sorption removal of heavy metal ions from polluted aqueous media

The paper presents an easy-to-implement and cheap technology for the synthesis of an effective sorption material based on graphene oxide, carboxymethylcellulose and iron nanoparticles. The synthesized nanocomposite is a partially ordered structure corresponding to the reduced graphene oxide, superficially modified with a layer of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Iron nanoparticles of various structures and sizes have been identified in the structure of the synthesized material. The structures of the resulting composite and the raw materials were studied using the methods of SEM, TEM, XRD, and IR-Fourier spectroscopy. The presence of iron particles in the structure of the material in various forms (Fe2O3, FeO, Fe0) was shown. Sorption properties of the synthesized nanocomposite have been studied. The effect of the pH of the solution and the weight of the adsorbent suspension on its sorption activity during the extraction of Pb and Zn ions from aqueous solutions has been studied. The synthesized material demonstrates the greatest sorption activity at pH = 6 and the weight of the sample m = 1 mg. During the experimental analysis of the kinetics of the process, high values of the sorption activity of the synthesized material were established (for Pb ions — 680 mg·g–1, Zn ions — 387 mg·g–1). The obtained kinetic curves are best described by a pseudo-second-order model. The synthesized composite material can be successfully used for the adsorption of heavy metals from polluted aqueous media.