The superior adsorption capacity of 2,4-Dinitrophenol under ultrasound-assisted magnetic adsorption system: Modeling and process optimization by central composite design

Abstract 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP) was listed as a priority pollutant; accordingly, DNP-contaminated effluent must be treated before discharging to the receiving resources. In the present study, the hybrid ultrasound-assisted GO-Fe3O4 system was employed to decontaminate DNP solution. Ultrasound irradiation makes the mass transfer of adsorbate improved and Fe3O4 enables GO separation from liquid phase under external magnetic field. The as-synthesized GO-Fe3O4 composite was characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR, BET and VSM. A response surface methodology based central composite design (RSM-CCD) was used to estimate and optimize of various variables on DNP removal percentage. Under optimal conditions (pH: 4.45, adsorbent dose: 0.178 g/L, ultrasound frequency: 40.02 kHz and DNP concentration: 50.10 mg/L, maximum adsorption capacity was calculated to be 425.58 mg/g for the ultrasound system, higher than the simple system 309.40 mg/g, indicating the importance of synergistic effect between the ultrasound waves and the adsorption process. The ultrasound-assisted adsorption system showed the better agreement with the Langmuir isotherm (R2 > 0.997), while the results of the stirring system were more consistent with the Freundlich model (R2 > 0.991). The experimental results indicated that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model well fitted by experiment data and rate constant was calculated to be 0.000148 min−1 and 0.000002 min−1 under ultrasound and silent systems, respectively. The rate of desorption under ultrasound was more favorable and reuse of the adsorbent in both systems after 10th consecutive cycles reduced by about 22%. Thermodynamic calculations also confirmed the endothermicity and spontaneity of both systems. Electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and π -π interactions played key roles during the adsorption of DNP onto the MGO. In conclusion, the outcomes of this study provide valuable information of the ultrasound-assisted GO-Fe3O4 system for practical applications.