Open AccessRemoval of chromium (VI) from solution using α–Fe2O3(hematite) nanoparticles synthesized by a facile chemical route
Author(s) -
Pritam Dey,
Tania Paul,
Kunal Vora,
Riddhi Kotak,
Silpi Sarkar,
Tania Paul,
Komal Sharma,
Priya Mitra
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of experimental research and review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2455-4855
DOI - 10.52756/ijerr.2021.v26.003
Subject(s) - chromium , hematite , nanoparticle , effluent , adsorption , nuclear chemistry , chemistry , wastewater , metal , oxide , nanomaterials , materials science , waste management , nanotechnology , mineralogy , organic chemistry , engineering
Industrial wastewater poses a great threat to both plant and animal lives because of the presence of toxic and recalcitrant compounds. Heavy metals are one of them which have been proved biologically fatal for humans if consumed above a trace amount. Chromium or Cr(VI) is one such heavy metal that is present primarily in tannery and electroplating effluents and is needed to be removed from the wastewater. Iron oxide nanomaterials can remove Cr(VI) from industrial wastewater. This study discusses the removal of Cr(VI) from synthetic solution using iron oxide nanoparticles. The α-Fe2O3(hematite) nanoparticles were synthesized using the chemical method and characterized using SEM,XRD, and FT-IR. The nanoparticles, having an average size distribution of 10-50 nm, were used to remove Cr(VI) from their single metal solution. The chromium removal study was carried out in batch mode by varying the contact time, initial Cr(VI) concentration, adsorbent dose, and process temperature at neutral pH under continuous mechanical agitation. The percent removal efficiency of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles at a dosage of 1 g/l was found to be 82% and 90% at initial chromium ion concentrations of 50 mg/l and 100 mg/l, respectively. The equilibrium time for both the cases was found to be 40 minutes. The highest Cr(VI) removal was achieved at an α-Fe2O3 nanoparticle dose of 3.5g/l for 50 mg/l Cr(VI) concentration. While for 100 mg/l Cr(VI) concentration, optimum α-Fe2O3 nanoparticle dose was 6g/l. Also, the optimum process temperature was determined as 303K.