Feasibility of toxic metal removal from aqueous medium using Schiff-base based highly porous nanocomposite: Adsorption characteristics and post characterization

Fabrication of novel adsorbent with high surface area and high adsorption capacity is in urgent demand for water treatment, Therefore, in this study, a nanocomposite include Schiff base polymer and magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles was synthesized and characterized using analytical techniques including FTIR, TGA, XRD, Raman, SEM, TEM, XPS and N2 adsorption-desorption studies. The fabricated magnetic porous organic polymer (MPOP) was used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of Cd(II) and Hg(II) from aqueous solution. The adsorption kinetic results revealed that both metal ions; Cd(II) and Hg(II) supported the pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic model. The Langmuir isotherm model supported the adsorption over MPOP with a maximum adsorption capacity of 308.9 mg g−1 and 284.6 mg g−1 for Cd(II) and Hg(II), respectively. The thermodynamic results indicated that the adsorption of both metal ions was spontaneous and endothermic. The regeneration results suggested that the novel MPOP was a promising reusable adsorbent for the adsorption of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution.