A theoretical and experimental study of the adsorptive removal of hexavalent chromium ions using graphene oxide as an adsorbent

Abstract This study is focused on the adsorption of hexavalent chromium ions Cr( vi ) using graphene oxide (GO). The GO was prepared by chemical oxidation (Hummers method) of graphite particles. The synthesized GO adsorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy. It was used for the adsorption of Cr( vi ) ions. The theoretical calculations based on density functional theory and Monte Carlo calculations were used to explore the preferable adsorption site, interaction type, and adsorption energy of GO toward the Cr( vi ) ions. Moreover, the most stable adsorption sites were used to calculate and plot noncovalent interactions. The obtained results are important as they give molecular insights regarding the nature of the interaction between GO surface and the adsorbent Cr( vi ) ions. The found adsorption energy of −143.80 kcal/mol is indicative of the high adsorptive tendency of this material. The adsorption capacity value of GO toward these ions is q = 240.361 mg/g.