Manganese-incorporated iron(III) oxide–graphene magnetic nanocomposite: synthesis, characterization, and application for the arsenic(III)-sorption from aqueous solution

High specific surface area of graphene (GR) has gained special scientific attention in developing magnetic GR nanocomposite aiming to apply for the remediation of diverse environmental problems like point-of-use water purification and simultaneous separation of contaminants applying low external magnetic field (<1.0 T) from ground water. Fabrication of magnetic manganese-incorporated iron(III) oxide (Mn _x ²⁺Fe_2−x ³⁺O₄ ²⁻) (IMBO)–GR nanocomposite is reported by exfoliating the GR layers. Latest microscopic, spectroscopic, powder X-ray diffraction, BET surface area, and superconducting quantum interference device characterizations showed that the material is a magnetic nanocomposite with high specific surface area (280 m² g⁻¹) and pore volume (0.3362 cm³ g⁻¹). Use of this composite for the immobilization of carcinogenic As(III) from water at 300 K and pH ~7.0 showed that the nanocomposite has higher binding efficiency with As(III) than the IMBO owing to its high specific surface area. The composite showed almost complete (>99.9 %) As(III) removal (≤10 μg L⁻¹) from water. External magnetic field of 0.3 T efficiently separated the water dispersed composite (0.01 g/10 mL) at room temperature (300 K). Thus, this composite is a promising material which can be used effectively as a potent As(III) immobilizer from the contaminated groundwater (>10 μg L⁻¹) to improve drinking water quality.