Removal of Arsenic(III) from Aqueous Solution Using Metal Organic Framework-Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite

Tonoy Chowdhury; Lei Zhang; Junqing Zhang; Srijan Aggarwal

doi:10.3390/nano8121062

Removal of Arsenic(III) from Aqueous Solution Using Metal Organic Framework-Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2018 Dec 16;8(12):1062. doi: 10.3390/nano8121062.

Authors

Tonoy Chowdhury¹, Lei Zhang², Junqing Zhang³, Srijan Aggarwal⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O. Box 755905, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA. tchowdhury@alaska.edu.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O. Box 755905, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA. lzhang14@alaska.edu.
³ Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O. Box 755905, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA. jzhang16@alaska.edu.
⁴ Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, P.O. Box 755900, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA. saggarwal@alaska.edu.

Abstract

MIL-53(Al)-graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites of different GO to MIL-53(Al) mass ratios (1% to 25% GO) were synthesized and tested for removal of arsenite (As(III)), which is a well-known groundwater contaminant. The properties of MIL-53(Al)-GO nanocomposites were characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Batch experiments were performed on MIL-53(Al)-GO nanocomposites for As(III) adsorption in aqueous solutions to investigate adsorption kinetics and isotherm behavior under varying environmental conditions. The effects of solution pH (2 to 11), initial As(III) concentrations (10⁻110 mg/L), adsorbent dosage (0.2⁻3.0 g/L), and temperature (298⁻318 K) on As(III) adsorption were investigated. MIL-53(Al)-GO nanocomposites showed higher adsorption of As(III) than pristine MIL-53(Al) and GO individually. As (III) removal was optimized at a ratio of 3% GO in the MIL-53(Al)-GO nanocomposite, with an adsorption capacity of 65 mg/g. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms followed pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm models, respectively. Overall, these results suggest that MIL-53(Al)-GO nanocomposite holds a significant promise for use in the remediation of As (III) from groundwater and other aqueous solutions.

Keywords: adsorption; graphene oxide; heavy metal; metal-organic framework; nanocomposite.

Grants and funding

G00010680/U.S. Geological Survey