Iron Molybdate Fe ₂(MoO ₄) ₃ Nanoparticles: Efficient Sorbent for Methylene Blue Dye Removal from Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

The present study investigated iron molybdate (Fe ₂(MoO ₄) ₃), synthesized via a simple method, as a nanosorbent for methylene blue (MB) dye removal from aqueous solutions. Investigations of the effects of several parameters like contact time, adsorbent dose, initial dye concentration, temperature and pH were carried out. The results showed that MB removal was affected, significantly, by adsorbent dose and pH. Interestingly, lower values of adsorbent dose resulted in the removal of higher amounts of MB. At the optimum pH, the removal efficiency of 99% was gained with an initial MB concentration of ≤60 ppm. The kinetic study specified an excellent correlation of the experimental results with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. Thermodynamic studies proved a spontaneous, favorable and endothermic removal. The maximum amount of removal capacity of MB dye was 6173 mg/g, which was determined from the Langmuir model. The removal efficiency was shown to be retained after three cycles of reuse, as proven by thermal regeneration tests. The presence and adsorption of the dye onto the Fe ₂(MoO ₄) ₃ nanoparticle surface, as well as the regeneration of the latter, was ascertained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). These findings are indicative that the investigated nanosorbent is an excellent candidate for the removal of MB in wastewater.