Magnetic activated carbon for the removal of methyl orange from water via adsorption and Fenton-like degradation

Water pollution caused by organic dyes is a critical environmental issue. Although activated carbon (AC) is commonly used for dye adsorption, its effectiveness is limited by challenges in separation and regeneration. To address these limitations, a convenient recyclable magnetic activated carbon (MAC) was fabricated via co-precipitation and calcination method, serving as adsorbent and catalyst for methyl orange (MO) removal through a Fenton-like degradation process. Characterization techniques, including XRD, FTIR, SEM and TEM, confirmed that Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (10–20 nm) were uniformly dispersed on AC surface. The MAC maintaining a high surface area (997 m²/g) and pore volume (0.795 cm³/g) and exhibited superparamagnetic properties with a saturated magnetization of 5.52 emu/g, enabling effective separation from aqueous solutions by magnet. Batch adsorption studies revealed that MO adsorption onto MAC followed pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm model, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 205 mg/g at 25 °C. Thermodynamic analysis showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. Simultaneous degradation of MO and in-situ regeneration of MAC were achieved via Fenton-like reaction using sodium persulfate (PS). Under a PS concentration of 9 mmol/L, the MO removal efficiency near 95% after 60 min, with a total organic carbon (TOC) reduction of 83.1%. The reaction of Fe₃O₄ and oxygen functional groups on AC surface with PS facilitated the generation of ${\text{SO}}_4^{•-}$, thereby enhancing catalytic degradation of MO. The degradation efficiency improved as the temperature increased from 25 °C to 45 °C. Cycle tests demonstrated that the MO removal efficiency of MAC remained above 90% after 5 cycles of regeneration. Overall, this study highlights the potential of MAC for efficient removal of organic dyes from water through the coupling of adsorption and Fenton-like degradation, providing a promising solution for addressing water pollution challenges.