Experimental investigation, kinetics and statistical modeling of methylene blue removal onto Clay@Fe3O4: Batch, fixed bed column adsorption and photo-Fenton degradation studies
Abdelali Aboussabek, Latifa Boukarma, Saadia El Qdhy, Abdellah Ousaa, Mohamed Zerbet, Mohamed Chiban
Abstract
This study explores the use of muscovite mica combined with Fe3O4 nanoparticles to create a low-cost bio-composite. The composite was analyzed using XRD, pHPZC, FTIR, SEM, EDX, XRF, and BET. The investigation of adsorption parameters unveiled an adsorption efficacy of 97 % after 30 min with a ratio of 1 g/L. The experimental data aligned well with the pseudo-second-order equation and Temkin model, indicating a maximum adsorption capacity of 51.17 mg/g. Fixed-bed column studies demonstrated decreased efficiency with increased initial concentration, flow rate, and bed depth, with optimal performance at pH=8 and accurate representation by the Thomas model. The maximum capacity is achieved 34.69 mg/g when the bed depth is 0.5 cm, the flow rate is 2.5 mL/min, and the inlet concentration is 50 mg/L. The composite's degradation efficacy was evaluated under sunlight-activated photocatalysis, achieving over 95% degradation of MB within 90 minutes using 3 mL H2O2, an initial MB concentration of 40 mg/L, and only a catalyst quantity of 0.25 g/L. Degradation data were well-fitted by the first-order kinetic model. The study highlights the remarkable efficiency and swiftness of the degradation process compared to adsorption.