Adsorptive removal of arsenic from real sample of polluted water using magnetic GO/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite and ZnFe2O4 nanospinel

Developing affordable and efficient materials for the removal of arsenic from drinking water is crucial for human and environmental safety. In the present study, the adsorptive performance of magnetic GO/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite and ZnFe2O4 nanospinel for arsenic removal from aqueous water was analyzed. The adsorbents were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometer. The conditions were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) by considering the main factors as adsorption time, arsenic concentration, dose of adsorbent and pH. The optimum condition for the removal of arsenic was observed at pH 9.76, 30 min of contact time, 13.4 mg L−1 of initial arsenic concentration and 0.048 g of adsorbent dosage. The predicted arsenic removal percent under optimized conditions was noted as 98%; on the other hand, the experimental values at optimized conditions were observed as 96%. The Pareto analysis predicted that pH of the polluted water is the major factor in adsorptive arsenic removal and the relative importance of the process factors was found in the following order: pH > arsenic concentration > contact time > adsorbent dosage. Thus, introduced compositions form a promising material for the decontamination of polluted water or using in environmental remediation programs.