Functionalization of Graphene Oxide with 9-aminoanthracene for the Adsorptive Removal of Persistent Aromatic Pollutants from Aqueous Solution

A novel modified graphene oxide nanocomposite was fabricated via a facial procedure, aiming to removal of the aromatic pollutants from aqueous solution. The graphene oxide (GO) was functionalized with 9-aminoanthracene and produced graphene oxide-9-aminoanthracene (GO-9-AA). FTIR, XRD, TGA, TEM and Raman spectroscopy techniques were used for characterization of the adsorbents. Adsorption of naphthalene (NAP), acenaphthylene (ACN), and phenanthrene (PHN) as a model of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was investigated by GO-9-AA. The adsorbent showed excellent removal efficiency towards PAHs from aqueous solution. Equilibrium data of the adsorption process were successfully fitted with Freundlich model from single solute system, and the maximum adsorption capacities followed the order of NAP > ACN > PHN. The kinetic analysis revealed that the overall adsorption process was fast and successfully fitted with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The anthracene ring makes GO-9-AA pi-electron rich, thus facilitating pi-pi EDA interaction between NAP, ACN and PHN with GO-9-AA.