Preparation and Characterization of CuFeO2 and Its Adsorption Properties for Methylene Blue

Nano-sized CuFeO2 was prepared by chemical coprecipitation method and characterized by scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM/EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), laser granularity analyzer, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurement. The results show that the particle size of CuFeO2 is about 20 nm and the specific surface area is 258.3 m2/g. In addition, the adsorption of methylene blue(MB) on CuFeO2 is a pseudo second-rate kinetic process and reaches equilibrium in 30 min, which is in good agreement with the Langmuir adsorption model. Meanwhile, CuFeO2 exhibits good adsorption ability for methylene blue, and the maximum adsorption capacity reaches 123.0 mg/g at room temperature and pH=7. So, CuFeO2 can be used as an adsorption material with high capacity for effective removal of methylene blue from waste water. © 2017, Editorial Office of FINE CHEMICALS. All right reserved.