Incorporation of iron nanoparticles into clinoptilolite and its application for the removal of cationic and anionic dyes

This study reports the preparation of composite sorbents of iron nanoparticles (nZVI) and clinoptilolite at various iron/clinoptilolite ratios. The composites were characterized using various characterization techniques. The material was used for the removal of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) as model cationic and anionic dyes. The experiments investigated the effects of time, loading, initial pH, reusability, and temperature on the removal process. According to the results, Cl-nZVI showed fast and quantitative removal over a wide range of concentrations. The removal process was endothermic in nature, and the composite demonstrated reusability for several trials. (C) 2014 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.