Magnetic ethylene diamine-functionalized graphene oxide as novel sorbent for removal of lead and cadmium ions from wastewater samples

In this paper, magnetic ethylene diamine-functionalized graphene oxide (MDFGO) as a novel sorbent was synthesized and applied for removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) from real wastewater samples. The morphology and molecular structure of MDFGO were studied by different analytical methods. The effective parameters in adsorption efficiency of Pb(II) and Cd(II) were studied and optimized using experimental design. Under the optimal condition, the effective parameters including pH, sorbent dosage, shaking rate, and adsorption time were 6.2, 33.0 mg, 500 rpm, and 11 min, respectively. Mechanism of adsorption kinetic was investigated using the Lagergren pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion models. It was found that adsorption of lead and cadmium ions in the MDFGO sorbent followed from pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS°) for the lead and cadmium ions uptake onto the MDFGO sorbent were calculated and indicated that the adsorption processes were spontaneous and endothermic in nature for both cations. In order to investigate the isotherm model for adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II), the experimental data were studied using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Harkins–Jura isotherm models. The results fitted well with Freundlich model for both metal ions. The new sorbent (MDFGO) was applied to remove Pb(II) and Cd(II) from battery wastewater and electroplating wastewater. The removal percentage of Pb(II) and Cd(II) were 99.6±0.5 and 99.4±0.6, respectively, and demonstrated that the new sorbent was very suitable for removal of lead and cadmium ion from the real wastewater samples.