Synthesis of novel magnetic nano-sorbent functionalized with N-methyl-D-glucamine by click chemistry and removal of boron with magnetic separation method.

Click chemistry refers to a group of reactions that are fast, simple to use, easy to purify, versatile, regiospecific, and give high product yields. Therefore, a novel, efficient magnetic nano-sorbent based on N-methyl-D-glucamine attached to magnetic nanoparticles was prepared using click coupling method. Its boron sorption capacity was compared with N-methyl-D-glucamine direct attached nano-sorbent. The characterization of the magnetic sorbents was investigated by several techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The boron sorption capacity of sorbents was compared by studying various essential factors influencing the sorption, like sorbate concentration, sorbents dosage, pH of the solution, and contact time. Langmuir and Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption isotherms models were applied. Percent removal and sorption capacities efficiencies of sorbents obtained with direct and click coupling are found to be 49.5%, 98.7% and 6.68 mg/g, 13.44 mg/g respectively. Both sorbents have been found to be compatible with Langmuir isotherm, and the boron sorption kinetics conforms to the pseudo second order kinetics. The reusability study of sorbents was carried out five times for boron sorption and desorption.