Removal of Heavy Metal (Cadmium) Using Temperature Optimized Novel Rare Earth Garnet (Y3Fe5O12) Through Simple, Robust, and Efficient Adsorption Technique

This research article presents the current challenges faced by our ecosystem due to depletion and insufficient fresh water bodies. In this current work, a novel holistic approach for the removal of toxic cadmium heavy metal ion from water using yttrium iron garnet is demonstrated. The impact of annealing temperature on the formation of garnet ferrite phase was investigated. The crystal structure analysis was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and further analyzed using Rietveld refinement technique. The surface morphology and functional groups were analyzed using high-resolution scanning emission microscopy (HR-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy in detail. The magnetic property variation with respect to annealing temperatures was assessed from the data acquired from vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) studies done at room temperature. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) chemical analysis technique was used to study the oxidation states of cations in the sample. To our knowledge, the utilization of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) as a magnetic adsorbent is extremely rare. So, in this article, we report the nature, important characteristics, and advantages of utilizing YIG nanoparticles for the eradication of cadmium for the treatment of water using atomic adsorption spectroscopy (AAS) technique. The experimental data was interpreted using adsorption isotherm modelling such as Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms.