Synthesis of ferriferrous oxide/l-cysteine magnetic microspheres and their adsorption capacity for Pb (II) ions

Abstract Ferriferrous oxide/ l -cysteine (denoted as Fe 3 O 4 /Cys) magnetic microspheres were prepared via a solvothermal route. The content of thiol groups of Fe 3 O 4 /Cys microspheres was determined by a DTNB method, and the maximum content of thiol group was as high as 653.62 μmol/g. The Fe 3 O 4 /Cys microspheres have strong ability to adsorb Pb (II) in aqueous solution and the maximum adsorption capacity reaches 459.33 mg/g. The data at adsorption equilibrium are best fitted with a Langmuir model. In addition, the Fe 3 O 4 /Cys adsorbent can be easily enriched by a magnetic field, and it indicates that as-synthesized adsorbent can be a promising regenerated adsorbent for Pb (II) ions.