o-Vanillin functionalized mesoporous silica - coated magnetite nanoparticles for efficient removal of Pb(II) from water

o-Vanillin functionalized mesoporous silica coated magnetite (Fe3O4@MCM-41-N-oVan) was synthesized and fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N-2 adsorption desorption technique and magnetic measurements. The capacity of Fe3O4@MCM-41-N-oVan to adsorb Pb(II) from aqueous solutions was evaluated in comparison with raw mesoporous silica coated magnetite (Fe3O4@MCM-41) and amino modified mesoporous silica coated magnetite (Fe3O4@MCM-41-NH2). The effect of adsorption process parameters such us pH, contact time, initial Pb(II) concentration was also investigated. The adsorption data were successfully fitted with the Langmuir model, exhibiting a maximum adsorption capacity of 155.71 mg/g at pH=4.4 and T=298 K. The results revealed that the adsorption rate was very high at the beginning of the adsorption process, 80-90% of the total amount of Pb(II) being removed within the first 60 min, depending on the initial concentration. The results of the present work suggest that Fe3O4@MCM-41-N-oVan is a suitable candidate for the separation of Pb(II) from contaminated water. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.