Synthesis of magnetite/non-oxidative graphene composites and their application for arsenic removal

Abstract Since graphene-based materials have been investigated to adsorb many kinds of contaminants such as heavy metals especially arsenic, the fabrication costs of them are critically important for their application to the practical adsorption process. Here, we fabricate a non-oxidative graphene with mass production and synthesis magnetite/non-oxidative graphene (M-nOG) composites for arsenic removal. The M-nOG showed great capacity for adsorption of arsenic against its low material cost. We found that the arsenite was more influenced by surface complexation and the arsenate was favorable for intraparticle diffusion in the adsorption process using M-nOG. To confirm the feasibility of M-nOG as adsorbents for arsenic removal, the effect of various conditions such as pH, temperature, competing anions, and humic acid on the arsenic removal were evaluated. Moreover, the repetitive reuse and regeneration of M-nOG were performed. In conclusion, the M-nOG was cost-effective and feasible to use practically as adsorbents for arsenic removal.