Kinetics, Isotherm, Thermodynamics, and Recyclability of Exfoliated Graphene-Decorated MnFe2O4 Nanocomposite Towards Congo Red Dye.

Herein, we described the use of exfoliated graphene- (EG-) decorated magnetic MnFe₂O₄ nanocomposite (EG@MnFe₂O₄) for the removal and adsorption of Congo red (CR) dye from wastewater. Firstly, the precursors (EG, MnFe₂O₄) and EG@MnFe₂O₄ were fabricated, characterized using several physical analytical techniques such as X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N₂adsorption/desorption isotherm measurement. For the adsorption experiments, the effect of contact time (0–240 min), concentration (10–60 mg/L), solution pH (2–10), adsorbent dosage (0.03–0.07 g), and temperature (283–313 K) was rigorously studied. To elucidate the adsorption mechanism and behaviour of CR over EG@MnFe₂O₄ and MnFe₂O₄ adsorbents, the kinetic models (pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich, and Bangham) and isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich) have been adopted. The kinetic results indicated that models adhered to the pseudo-second-order equation, exhibiting the chemisorption mechanism in heterogeneous phrase. Meanwhile, the isotherm results revealed the adsorption of CR over EG@MnFe₂O₄ obeyed the monolayer behaviour (Langmuir model) rather than multilayer behaviour (Freundlich equation) over MnFe₂O₄. The thermodynamic study also suggested that such adsorption was an endothermic and spontaneous process. With high maximum adsorption capacity (71.79 mg/g) and good recyclability (at least 4 times), EG@MnFe₂O₄ can be a potential alternative for the adsorptive removal of CR dye from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]