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Inpress KJChE, Vol.1000, No.1000, 1-13, 2022
Nano-sized hematite-assembled carbon spheres for effectively adsorbing paracetamol in water: Important role of iron
This study developed a new ��-Fe2O3 (hematite) nanoparticles-loaded spherical biochar (H-SB) through the direct pyrolysis of glucose-derived spherical hydrochar and FeCl3. The optimal impregnation ratio (hydrochar and FeCl3) was 1/1.25 (wt/wt). H-SB was applied to remove paracetamol (PRC) from water. Results indicated that H-SB exhibited a relatively low surface area (127m2/g) and total pore volume (0.089 cm3/g). The presence of iron particles in its surface was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The dominant form of iron nanoparticles (��-Fe2O3) in its surface was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectrum. The crystallite size of ��-Fe2O3 in H-SB was 27.4 nm. The saturation magnetization of H-SB was 6.729 emu/g. The analysis of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrated that the C-O and O-H groups were mainly responsible for loading ��-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in its surface. The adsorption study indicated the amount of PRC adsorbed by H-SB slightly decreased within solution pH from 2 to 11. The adsorption reached a fast saturation after 120 min. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity of H-SB was 49.9mg/g at 25 ��C and pH 7.0. Ion-dipole interaction and ��-�� interaction played an important role in adsorption mechanisms, while hydrogen bonding and pore filling were minor. Therefore, H-SB can serve as a promising material for treating PRC-contaminated water streams.