Adsorption studies of Eu(III) ions from aqueous solutions by a synthesized copper magnetic ferrite nanoparticles as low-cost adsorbent

In this work, the synthesis of CuFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles was carried using gelatin as a novel technique and tested for Eu(III) adsorption from aqueous solutions. The synthesized magnetic nanoparticles were characterized using different spectroscopic tools such as TEM, XRD, and FTIR. The parameters affecting the Eu(III) adsorption were also discussed. The batch technique results indicated that Eu(III) recovery from an aqueous solution onto CuFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles increased with the increasing pH. It reached a maximum Eu(III) adsorption value at pH 5. The kinetic study indicated that the adsorption of Eu(III) process was fitted well to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. In contrast, the isotherm study revealed that the Eu(III) adsorption process obeyed the Langmuir isotherm model. The calculated maximum adsorption capacity, qmax, was found to be ≈ 60.82 mg/g. Thermodynamic parameters were computed, which suggested that the reaction is spontaneous. The regeneration test reveals that CuFe2O4 nanoparticles with 0.1 M HNO3 could desorb Eu(III) and that the high adsorption potential for five regeneration cycles can be maintained. The applicability of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles for removing Eu(III) and Cs(I) from simulated wastewater was attained with percent removal of 98.3 and 86%, respectively.