Preparation and adsorption properties of polycarboxylate nano-Fe₃O₄ magnetic composite particles

The polycarboxylate-nano Fe₃O₄ magnetic particles (PC-NMPs) were synthesized via suspension polymerization. The PC-NMPs were characterized by IR，EA，AAS，TGA，XRD，TEM and VSM. Their application to the adsorption of parabens from water was investigated. The results show that these PC-NMPs have an average size of 100～150 nm，with saturation magnetization intensity of 10.66 emu/g，and residual gnetization intensity of 0.61 emu/g and coercive force of 14.96 Oe，respectively. The adsorption capacities were vestigated by adsorbing 4 kinds of commonly used parabens from aqueous solution，which demonst rates an excellent adsorption capacity of 556 mg/g for methylparaben (MPB)，ethylparaben (EPB)，propyl paraben (PPB) and 588 mg/g for butyl paraben (BPB)，respectively. The isothermal adsorption curves mainly obey the Langmuir mode. The PC-NMPs can be used as the potential sorbents for the removal of parabens，the important kinds of environmental hormones from wastewater. Primary mechanism studies reveal that the adsorption process can be carried out quickly and efficiently，which may be due to the hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions between parabens and the PC-NMPs.