Biomaterial functionalized graphene-magnetite nanocomposite: A novel approach for simultaneous removal of anionic dyes and heavy metal ions

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Baskaran Ramalingam and Sujoy K Das

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India
Anna University, India
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, India

: J Nanomater Mol Nanotechnol

Abstract

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Despite of immense application potential of graphene in wastewater treatment, the colloidal stability, aggregation and recyclability remain a major challenge. To address this issue, we report biomaterial functionalized graphene-magnetite (Bio- GM) nanocomposite as a novel recyclable material for treatment of wastewater containing dyes and heavy metal. The integration of biomaterial including living cells of Shewanella oneidensis with graphene-magnetite nanocomposite has been characterized through UV-Vis, FTIR, FESEM and fluorescent microscopic studies. The contact angle measurement depicts the hydrophilic property (water contact-angle 27.93), while VSM result demonstrates the super-paramagnetic behavior of the nanocomposite with saturation magnetization value of 30.2emu/g. The Bio-GM nanocomposite exhibits excellent adsorption capacity towards dyes and Cr6+ in both single and multicomponent system with removal capacity of 189.63±7.11 and 222.2±8.64mg/g of dyes and Cr+6, respectively in the multicomponent dye-heavy metal system, suggesting selective binding capacity and high adsorption efficiency of Bio-GM nanocomposite. In the adsorption coupled redox reaction, the Cr+6 is reduced to Cr+3 through the biocatalytic activity of Bio-GM nanocomposite. The nanocomposite is easily regenerated and reused for multiple cycles of adsorption-desorption studies without the release of graphene and magnetite and thus eliminating the potential hazardous risk of nanomaterial to the environment. The proposed biomaterial functionalized graphene-magnetite nanocomposite thus offers a novel way for sustainable, affordable and efficient removal of coexisting toxic pollutants of dyes and heavy metal.

Biography

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E-mail: ramalingam.b@outlook.com