Carboxymethylcellulose-Graphene Oxide Composite Material, 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 (GO), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and iron nanoparticles. The synthesized nanocomposite is a partially ordered structure corresponding to reduced graphene oxide, superficially modified with a layer of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). The structures of the resulting composite and the raw materials have been studied using scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and IR Fourier spectroscopy. The presence of iron particles in the structure of the material in various forms (Fe2O3, FeOOH, Fe-0) is shown. Sorption properties of the synthesized nanocomposite have been studied. The effect of the solution pH and the adsorbent mass 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. High values of the sorption activity of the synthesized material have been established (for Pb ions, 680 mg g(-1); for 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.