Introduction of CdO nanoparticles into graphene and graphene oxide nanosheets for increasing adsorption capacity of Cr from wastewater collected from petroleum refinery

Abstract

Graphene and graphene oxide nanocomposites are promising and fascinating types of nanocomposites because of their fast kinetics, unique affinity for heavy metals, and greater specific area. Initially, in this study, a green, cost-effective and facile method was utilized to prepare G, GO, CdO, G-CdO, and CdO-GO nanocomposites by Azadirachta indica and then analyzed using UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform spectroscopy, Raman, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The synthesized nanocomposites were explored for chromium elimination from wastewater collected from a petroleum refinery. CdO-GO, G-CdO nanocomposites showed remarkable adsorption capability of 699 and 430 mg g−1 which was higher than G (80 mg g−1), GO (65 mg g−1), and CdO (400 mg g−1). Based on the R2 (correlation coefficient) values, the kinetic statistics of Cr (VI) onto the G, GO, CdO, G-CdO, and CdO-GO were effectively obeyed by pseudo-second-order than by all other models. The R2 values for the five nano-bioadsorbents were extraordinarily high (R2 greater than 0.990) which ensured the chemisorption. This study ensured that the adsorptive removal rate of Cr (VI) is still greater than 85 % after repeated five cycles, suggesting that the produced nanomaterials are adsorbents with strong recyclability.

Keywords

• Graphene
• Graphene oxide
• Nano-biosorbent
• Azadirachta indica
• chromium (VI)