Sorption of Ce(III) on magnetic/olive pomace nanocomposite: isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic studies

Used for various high-tech applications, cerium is an important rare earth element (REE), and its sorption on various solids also is important considering purification and environmental and radioactive waste disposal. In view of the industrial and environmental terms, it is important to remove Ce³⁺ ions from an aqueous solution. Magnetite and magnetic olive pomace nanocomposite were thus fabricated by a partial reduction co-precipitation approach. The structure and morphological properties of the prepared nano-material and nanocomposite were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and BET surface area analysis. The effects of parameters such as solution pH, contact time, initial Ce(III) concentration, and temperature on the sorption efficiency were studied. The maximum sorption capacities of the magnetite (MNP) and magnetic olive pomace nanocomposite (MOP) for Ce(III) ions were found to be 76.92 and 90.90 mgg^-1, respectively. The sorption data fitted well with Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the sorption was non-spontaneous and endothermic. This paper reports the preparation of MNP and novel MOP and their application as efficient, sustainable adsorbents alternative to commercial ones for adsorption of cerium ions from aqueous solution.