Adsorptive removal of lanthanum based on hydrothermally synthesized iron oxide-titanium oxide nanoparticles

Iron oxide-titanium oxide (Fe₂O₃-TiO₂) nanoparticles were developed as an effective adsorbent in order to extract and remove lanthanum ions selectively from aqueous media. Fe₂O₃-TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared by simple hydrothermal method and structurally characterized using FESEM, EDS, XRD, FTIR, and BET techniques. The analytical potential of Fe₂O₃-TiO₂ nanoparticles was interpreted by applying the kinetic and isotherm models. The maximum static uptake capacity was 89.63 mgg^- 1 at pH 7. Adsorption isotherm data evinced that a monolayer adsorption occurred on a homogeneous adsorbent surface which is compatible with Langmuir isotherm model. Data acquired from kinetic models study proved that La (III) adsorption onto Fe₂O₃-TiO₂ nanoparticles followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. Thermodynamic study exhibited that a spontaneous process is favorable for adsorption mechanism of La (III) on Fe₂O₃-TiO₂ nanoparticles. Moreover, the existence of different coexisting ions did not influence the extraction of La (III). Finally, the recommended methodology was applied on several environmental samples.