Preparation and Characterization of Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron-Loaded Porous Sepiolite for Decolorizing Methylene Blue in Aqueous Solutions

The preparation and characterization of nanoscale zero-valent iron-loaded porous sepiolite, as well as its application in the decolorization of methylene blue in aqueous solution, have been studied in this work through the measurements of field emission scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectrometry, x-ray photoelectron spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and specific surface area. The results showed that nanoscale zero-valent iron particles were successfully loaded on the surface and interior pores of sepiolite through physical adsorption. It was revealed that the decoloration capacity of methylene blue on nanoscale zero-valent iron-loaded porous sepiolite in water was comparable to that of nanoscale zero-valent iron, and nine times higher than that of natural sepiolite. This indicates that porous sepiolite was a good supporter for the loading of nanoscale zero-valent iron and nanoscale zero-valent iron-loaded sepiolite was a good decolorant because of its high decoloration efficiency and easy separation.