Magnetic Chitosan Nanocomposites Derived from Industrial Solid Waste: A Promising Approach for Arsenic(III)...

In this paper, the "waste to adsorbent" strategy was proposed to synthesize Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles using the ultrasonic-assisted coprecipitation method from Bayer industrial waste. The nanoparticles were combined with chitosan (CS) to enhance their physicochemical properties. The well-covered CS on the surface of Fe₃O₄ is characterized by the nanocomposite's saturation magnetization of 50.2 emu/g, zeta potential of -14.2 mV, and specific surface area of 93.64 m²/g. The highest percentage removal efficiency was 96.73% at pH 4, with the adsorbent dosage of 0.5 g/L and the As(III) concentration of 10 mg/L, which suggests that the material is an ideal adsorbent for arsenic(III) remediation. Furthermore, the effects, kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamic study of the As(III) adsorption process in an aqueous solution of Fe₃O₄/CS nanocomposites were thoroughly investigated.