SYNTHESIS OF REDUCED GRAPHENE OXIDE AND ITS APPLICATION FOR THE ADSORPTION OF Pb2+ FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION

Abstract

In the present paper, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been synthesized
successfully from graphite powder by modified Hummers method. Material were
characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectra
and scanning electron microscopy SEM to know the formation of rGO. The nitrogen
adsorption-desorption was used for determination of surface area (Brunauer -
Emmett - Teller (BET)), porosity and capillary distributionof the fabricated
material. The adsorption of Pb2+ ion on rGO was investigated. The adsorption
characteristic and Pb2+
removal efficiency of the adsorbent have been determined
by investigating the influence of operating variables such as dosage of rGO. The
maximum Pb2+
sorption capacity was found to be 37.04 (mg/g) and obtained
using 0.30g/50mL rGO when pH equals 5, a temperature of 28°C, and contact time
as 24 hours. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were used to fit the
experimental data and these showed good correlations.