Synthesis of Ce(III)-doped Fe3O4 magnetic particles for efficient removal of antimony from aqueous solution.

Aqueous antimony (Sb) pollution from human activity is of great concern in drinking water due to its adverse health effect. Magnetic Fe3O4 particles, with high separation ability from solution, have been considered as a low-cost Sb adsorbent for contaminants. However, the limited adsorption capacity has restricted its practical application. In this study, a solvothermal approach was developed for doping Ce(III) into Fe3O4, thereby increasing the adsorption efficacy for both Sb(III) and Sb(V). In contrast to un-doped Fe3O4, the adsorption capacity towards Sb(III) and Sb(V) in Ce-doped materials increased from 111.4 to 224.2mg/g and from 37.2 to 188.1mg/g at neutral pH, respectively. Based on the combined results of XPS, XRD, and FTIR, it confirmed that Ce atom successfully doped into the Fe3O4 structure, resulting in the decreased particle size, increased the surface area, and isoelectric point. Furthermore, the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) results showed that the Ce doping process had some side effects on the primitive magnetic property, but remaining the high separation potential during water treatment. According to the high removal efficiency and magnetic property, the Ce-doped Fe3O4 of great simplicity should be a promising adsorbent for aqueous Sb removal.