Removal of mercury(II) from aqueous solution by partially reduced graphene oxide

Abstract

Mercury (Hg(II)) has been classified as a pollutant and its removal from aqueous sources is considered a priority for public health as well as ecosystem protection policies. Oxidized graphenes have attracted vast interest in water purification and wastewater treatment. In this report, a partially reduced graphene oxide is proposed as a pristine adsorbent material for Hg(II) removal. The proposed material exhibits a high saturation Hg(II) uptake capacity of 110.21 mg g−1, and can effectively reduce the Hg(II) concentration from 150 mg L−1 to concentrations smaller than 40 mg L−1, with an efficiency of about 75% within 20 min. The adsorption of Hg(II) on reduced graphene oxide shows a mixed physisorption–chemisorption process. Density functional theory calculations confirm that Hg atom adsorbs preferentially on clean zones rather than locations containing oxygen functional groups. The present work, therefore, presents new findings for Hg(II) adsorbent materials based on partially reduced graphene oxide, providing a new perspective for removing Hg(II).

Tunable optical and semiconducting properties of eco-friendly-prepared reduced graphene oxide

“…To further emphasize our eco-friendly approach, previous studies ( Begum et al, 2017 ; Tene et al, 2022b ; Tene et al, 2022c ) have shown that GO can be transformed into rGO using green reducing agents such as citric acid (CA) ( Tene et al, 2023b ). In our current study, we specifically focus on GO reduced using AA.…”

Green synthesis of a magnetite/graphitic carbon nitride 2D nanocomposite for efficient Hg2+ remediation

“…Research has also focused on using 2D nanomaterials, such as MoSe 2 , MXene, graphene, carbon nanotube, and C60 fullerenes. 38–42 However, their preparation is far from green, requiring chemical solvents and energy, leading to substantial environmental impacts.…”

Calibration of Fermi Velocity to Explore the Plasmonic Character of Graphene Nanoribbon Arrays by a Semi-Analytical Model

“…Graphene, a sheet of carbon atoms packed in a honeycomb lattice, attracted huge interest since it was first isolated in 2004 [1], because of its unique electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties [2][3][4][5], not to mention the number of potential applications, ranging from high-frequency electronics to smart coatings [6], along with envisaged environmental benefits [7,8]. The most distinguished feature of graphene is the conic dispersion of its electronic bands, or the so-called Dirac cones [9], which can be described by a massless Dirac Hamiltonian [10].…”