Exploration of magnetic zeolite thin film derived from coal fly ash an efficient sorbent: Application to water...

Fly ash, produced during coal combustion for energy making, which is recognized as an industrial by-product, could lead to environmental health hazards. Subsequently, fly ash found that an exceptional adsorption performance for the removal of various toxic pollutants, the adsorption capacity of fly ash might be altered by introducing physical/chemical stimulation. Successfully converting fly ash into zeolites not only recovers their disposal difficulties but also transforms unwanted materials into merchandisable products for various industrial applications. Here we fabricated that, converting fly ash into zeolite and then modifying it with aminopropyl imidazole (ionic liquid), the imidazolium-based zeolite will be used as a template for loading Fe₃O₄ NPs. The formation of Fe₃O₄ NPs decorated zeolites is incorporated with polymeric materials [including polystyrene sulphonate (PSS), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan], producing to magnetic film (named Fe₃O₄ NPs@zeolite film). The fabricated magnetic film exhibits excellent functionality and durability for the sorption of chromium, selenium and organic dyes such as Congo red, RhB. These toxic contaminates were electrostatically bonded through adsorbent due to their protonation of below the pH_zpc 7.0 with surface functional groups from imidazolium cationic moiety (R-N⁺), amino groups derived chitosan (-N, -NH and -NH₂), and hydroxyl groups (Fe-OH), electrostatically bind with anionic selenium species are [(SeO₃^2-, Se(IV)), and (SeO₄^2- Se(VI)], chromium species HCrO₄^-, Cr₂O₇^2- and CrO₄^2- the maximum removal performance were achieved in a wide pH range are highly suitable for practical application.