Application of Rh(III)-Metalloporphyrin Grafted Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for the Extraction of Thiocyanate Ions from Aqueous Solutions

A new sorbent composed of 3-aminopropyltriethoxy-silane-coated magnetic nanoparticles, functionalized with rhodium(III) porphyrin complex was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and ThermoGravimetric Analysis (TGA). The effect of some co-existing anions present in aqueous solutions, pH, sorbent dosage and contact time on the thiocyanate removal was investigated. Thiocyanate adsorbing material was regenerated with 15 mM NaOH up to 97.0 %. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed sorbent for removal of thiocyanate ions from aqueous solutions is proved.