Fabrication of magnetic β-CD/chitosan nanocomposite as an efficient and recyclable dye adsorbent

ABSTRACT

In this work, novel magnetic nanocomposite adsorbents were prepared by crosslinking β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) onto chitosan backbones by using epichlorohydrin as a crosslinker and in the presence of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The composition of β-CD-chitosan nanocomposites was characterized via FTIR, XRD, TEM, SEM, and VSM. Then, the as-prepared nanocomposites were treated for elimination of methyl orange (MO). The results indicated that the adsorption of MO exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 314 mg g^?1 at 25°C. Moreover, the rates and isotherm data of adsorption matched excellent at different MO concentrations (10, 60, and 120 mg/L) using second-order and Langmuir models with the regression coefficient (R²) of 0.9993 and 9990, respectively. Besides, the thermodynamic data confirmed MO adsorption as an endothermic process. The adsorbent was also confirmed as good materials for re-use and maintained 88% of its initial adsorption capacity for MO after the fifth regeneration cycles. In conclusion, the synthesized magnetic nanocomposites can be applied as cost-effective dye adsorbents with high regeneration efficiency.