Hydrophobic ionic liquid (IL)-based magnetic adsorbents: the way forward to remediate water pollution

Abstract

In this investigation, bare and hydrophobic IL-modified FeO nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized using microwave irradiation. Multiple characterization techniques, including XRD, FT-IR, and FESEM, were utilized to analyze the properties of the synthesized NPs. The primary objective was to examine the efficacy of NPs as adsorbents for removing dyes and heavy metals from aqueous solutions. To evaluate the factors affecting the adsorption efficiency of the NPs, various variables including dye concentration, pH of the reaction medium, nanoparticle dosage, and reaction time were studied using the batch experiment method. The study demonstrated that the IL-modified NPs were more effective in removing CV and Cr(VI) dyes than unmodified NPs. Various adsorption isotherm intra-particle diffusion models, including Langmuir, Freundlich, and Tempkin, were elaborated to obtain insight into the adsorption behavior of the NPs. This study effectively synthesized bare and IL-modified NPs using a microwave irradiation method. The modified NPs showed promising potential as adsorbents for efficiently removing CV dye and Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions.