Preparation of terpyridine-functionalized paramagnetic nickel–zinc ferrite microspheres for adsorbing Pb(ii), Hg(ii), and Cd(ii) from water

A paramagnetic microsphere combining special functional groups may be one kind of the most promising methods for heavy metal adsorption, due to their specific separation capacity, selectivity and reusability. In this study, a novel terpyridine-based magnetic solid-phase adsorbent (TPY-M) is successfully constructed. The paramagnetic Ni(0.25)Zn(0.75)Fe(2)O(4) microsphere (M) is synthesized and applied as a magnetic core, and is functionalized by terpyridine (TPY) groups. The naked magnetic core and TPY-M are characterized by vibration sample magnetism (VSM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. Some parameters of the TPY-M samples are evaluated as potential adsorbents for heavy metal ions in various aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacities of TPY-M for Pb(ii), Hg(ii) and Cd(ii) were 64.75 mg g(−1), 33.94 mg g(−1) and 24.64 mg g(−1) under given conditions, respectively. In the case of Pb(ii), some influencing factors on the TPY-M adsorbent are investigated, including the pH, adsorption time, and ion concentrations. The adsorbent can be easily regenerated by HCl solution after use. The adsorbent revealed good adsorption performance in some real water samples.