Application of a novel plasma-induced CD/MWCNT/iron oxide composite in zinc decontamination

Herein, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was grafted onto magnetic MWCNT/iron oxide particles by using low temperature plasma-induced technique to synthesize a novel nanocomposite. The prepared composite (denoted as CD/MWCNT/iron oxide) exhibited high magnetic property (saturation magnetization Ms = 37.8 emu/g) and good dispersion property in aqueous solution. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the application potential of CD/MWCNT/iron oxide in the decontamination of Zn(II) from aqueous solutions. The sorption amount of Zn(II) on CD/MWCNT/iron oxide was higher than that of Zn(II) on MWCNT/iron oxides and oxidized MWCNTs, indicating that the grafted β-CD could enhance the sorption capacity of CD/MWCNT/iron oxide composite toward Zn(II) by providing multiple hydroxyl functional groups. Due to its high magnetic, CD/MWCNT/iron oxide could be easily separated from aqueous solution with an external magnetic field. Regeneration studies suggested that CD/MWCNT/iron oxide can support long term use as a cost-effective material in sewage treatment with minimum replacement costs.