Preparation of magnetic iron oxide/graphene aerogel nanocomposites for removal of bisphenol A from water

•Fe3O4/GAs were synthesized in the presence of ethylenediamine as a reducing agent.•Effect of Fe3O4:GO mass ratio was studied.•The adsorption process of Fe3O4/GA for BPA was investigated.•The adsorption mechanism of Fe3O4/GA for BPA adsorption was determined. In this study, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles decorated graphene aerogel (Fe3O4/GA) with different Fe3O4:GO mass ratios of 0.5:1, 1:1, and 2:1, which were synthesized in the presence of ethylenediamine as a reducing agent. The suitable mass ratio of Fe3O4:GO was determined to be 1:1 for the preparation of Fe3O4/GA (FGA2). The FGA2 was characterized by vibrating sample magnetometer, contact angle and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X–ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscope, Raman spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area. The adsorption process of FGA2 for bisphenol A (BPA) was studied by single factor experiments including contact time, pH and initial BPA concentration. The adsorption data were followed the intraparticle diffusion and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The maximum adsorption capability of FGA2 for BPA from Langmuir isotherm model was calculated to be 253.80 mg/g. The adsorption mechanism of FGA2 for BPA was mainly described by π−π interactions. Based on these results, the FGA2 could be concerned as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of BPA from water.