Functional chitosan-stabilized nanoscale zero-valent iron used to remove acid fuchsine with the assistance of ultrasound

Chitosan-stabilized nanoscale zero-valent iron (CS-nZVI) was prepared and used for the removal of acid fuchsine (AF) from aqueous solution with the assistance of ultrasound. More than 98.9% of AF was removed using CS-nZVI, aged CS-nZVI (exposed to air for 2 months), while only 14.6% removal efficiency was achieved after 15 min by chitosan alone with the assistance of ultrasound. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that chitosan polymers were arranged in a homocentric layered structure. Thus, the polymer can prevent the aggregation of nZVI and increase their anti-oxidation capacity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) also suggested that the chitosan used in synthesis may protect nZVI nanoparticles from air oxidation. Different factors impacting on the removal of AF using CS-nZVI showed that the reduction increased when dosage and temperature increased, but decreased when pH and initial concentration rose. Kinetic studies revealed that the removal of AF fitted well to the pseudo-first-order model. The apparent activation energy was 55.34 kJ/mol, indicating a chemically controlled reaction. Finally, the application of CS-nZVI in dyeing wastewater led to a removal efficiency of 99% of AF, while the reuse test confirmed that AF's removal efficiency declined from 99.6 to 39.3% after seven cycles.