Preparation of graphene oxide-modified palygorskite nanocomposites for high-efficient removal of Co(II) from wastewater

Removing Co(II) from wastewater is urgent due to the threat to the environment and human health. In the work, the nanocomposite of graphene oxide-modified palygorskite (mPal-GO) is synthesized by cross-linking one-dimensional palygorskite (Pal) with two-dimensional material graphene oxide (GO), and used to remove Co(II) from wastewater. Its structure is characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurement. The parameters, such as mass ratio (GO:mPal), temperature, pH, and contact time, are carefully investigated. The results indicate that pseudo-second-order equation and Langmuir isotherm model are the best fitting one in the adsorption process of Co(II) onto mPal-GO. The maximum adsorption capacity achieves 16.9 mg/g at pH = 6.0 and T = 298 K according to the Langmuir model analysis. Furthermore, mPal-GO can be reused more than 5 times with a slight decrease according to the adsorption-desorption cycle experiments. Finally, mPal-GO with the low-cost and easy separation is a promising candidate for removing of Co(II) from wastewater.