Synthesis and characterization of novel magnetic Fe3O4/C through the Co-precipitation method and investigation of its desulfurization application

In the current study, Fe3O4 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and its surface was modified with activated carbon made from almond shell through the co-precipitation method. In addition, as-synthesized Fe3O4/C nanocomposites were used a magnetic adsorbent for magnetic removal of sulfur compounds from gasoline. Based on the author’s knowledge, it is the first report on the synthesis and desulfurization by Fe3O4/C nanocomposite. Besides, the effect of reaction time, sulfur, and adsorbent concentration on the desulfurization process were studied. Based on the desulfurization results in this research, it was found that these parameters play an important role on the yield desulfurization. Moreover, in the presence of Fe3O4/C nanocomposite as adsorbent, the maximum 95 % of desulfurization was achieved. Furthermore, the effect of different solvents such as ethanol, methanol, and toluene on the recyclability of Fe3O4/C nanocomposite was studied. The as-synthesized Fe3O4/C nanocomposite was characterized by XRD, SEM, VSM, and EDS.