Surface functionalization of magnetite nanoparticles for remediation enhancement of phenol from aqueous solutions

Phenol is a toxic pollutant generated by industries. It can diminish the supply of clean water and is hazardous to human health. Hence, an effective abatement method is important to remove phenol from water sources. The following amine-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles, ethylenediamine (EDA), diethylenetriamine (DETA), triethylenetetramine (TETA), tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA), and polyethylenehexamine (PEHA), were used to study the adsorption performances of phenol from the prepared samples. The morphological study revealed long rod shapes with rough and sharp edges, while the elemental analysis presented the addition of two elements, C and N atoms. In addition, the TETA@MNP possessed weaker magnetism compared to MNPs, showing that the surface functionalization of MNPs was successful. TETA@MNP showed the highest percentage for phenol removal compared to others. The TETA@MNP achieved a removal efficiency of 99.2% at optimum conditions of 60 mg dosage, contact time of 25 min, and pH of 7. TETA@MNP obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model, with coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.9765 and 0.9682, respectively. The reusability study has demonstrated that TETA@MNP can be reused approximately 6 times with extremely minor loss. Therefore, TETA@MNP is a good adsorbent for the adsorption of phenol from prepared sample solutions.