Abstract
The release of pharmaceuticals into aquatic environments is a serious concern due to the persistence and potential health and environmental risks of these substances. Surface and ground waters are polluted with a variety of pharmaceuticals due to insufficient water purification processes in wastewater treatment plants. Here, we report a simple procedure for the production of composite materials consisting of zero-valent iron embedded in few-layer graphene, Fe/graphene, through induction annealing at 900 °C. Zero-valent iron was observed as magnetic 1 µm-sized crystals embedded in the graphene matrix appearing in the α- and γ-forms. This Fe/graphene composite was applied as an adsorbent for the removal of tetracycline (a pharmaceutical) from water. The Fe/graphene showed high tetracycline removal efficiency (422 mg/g) under optimized conditions. Furthermore, the Fe/graphene possessed self-regenerating features prolonging its lifetime and total removal capacity up to 660 mg/g, thus making it a potential material for removing tetracycline from water.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 821-830 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Chemical Engineering Journal |
Volume | 373 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2019 |
Keywords
- Adsorption
- Carburization
- Graphene
- Tetracycline
- Water treatment
- Zero-valent iron
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- Environmental Chemistry
- General Chemical Engineering
- Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering