Highly efficient adsorption behavior and mechanism of Urea-Fe3O4@LDH for triphenyl phosphate

Abstract The emergence of organophosphorus flame retardants and the efficient removal from aquatic environments have aroused increasing concerns. The Urea functionalized Fe3O4@LDH (Urea-Fe3O4@LDH) was prepared and used to adsorb triphenyl phosphate (tphp) for the first time. The tphp adsorption capacity was up to 589 mg g−1, and the adsorption rate reached 49.9 mg g−1 min−1. Moreover, the influences of various environmental factors (pH, ionic strength and organic matter) on the tphp adsorption on the Urea-Fe3O4@LDH were investigated. The initial pH of the solution significantly affected the tphp adsorption, whereas the ionic strength and HA slightly affected the adsorption. The main adsorption mechanism was attributed to electrostatic interaction and π-π interaction. We believe that urea is one of excellent functional groups for the tphp adsorption removal and the materials with urea groups as the adsorbents exhibit good prospects in the future.