Hydrophilic magnetic Ti₃C₂T_x-based nanocomposite as an efficient boron adsorbent: Synthesis, characterization, and...

It is widely recognized that wastewater containing boron is an environmental issue. Therefore, the development of adsorbents with excellent adsorption capacity, stability, and recyclability is essential in water treatment applications. A Fe₃O₄/PDA/Ti₃C₂T_x/PEI/DHHA nanocomposite has been prepared that can be used to separate and recover boric acid by adjusting the pH of the solution, based on the affinity theory of boric acid and cis-diol. Through series characterization, it was determined that the adsorbent possessed good magnetic properties, high hydrophilicity and high loading capacities. In this study, 4-formylphenylboronic acid (FPBA) was selected as the model compound. The nanocomposite exhibited an adsorption equilibrium time of 10 h and an adsorption capacity of 98.99 mg/g at pH = 8.5 and 25 °C. The Langmuir isothermal model and the quasi-secondary kinetic model are both appropriate for describing the adsorption process. Thermodynamic results suggest that adsorption is a spontaneous chemisorption process. Furthermore, the nanocomposite retains good regeneration performance after five adsorption-desorption cycles.