Synthesis and application of sulfonated polystyrene/ferrosoferric oxide/diazoresin nanocomposite microspheres for highly selective removal of dyes

A versatile porous adsorbent of sulfonated polystyrene/ferrosoferric oxide/diazoresin (SPS/Fe3O4/DR) nanocomposite microspheres with magnetic property and acidic/basic groups was prepared and applied for removal of different dyes from water. The adsorbent showed good adsorption performance due to its functional groups and strong adsorption forces. The selective removal of methylene blue (MB) from MB/methyl orange (MO) mixture can be realized using this adsorbent. The adsorption uptake capacity of the adsorbents was 223.71 mg/g and the removal efficiency was more than 90% even after five adsorption-desorption cycles. This adsorbent could be readily separated from solution within 2 min using a magnet. Furthermore, adsorption kinetics for SPS/Fe3O4/DR followed by the pseudo-second order model. Isothermal equilibrium data were fitted with Langmuir model, which indicated the adsorption process is the monolayer adsorption. This novel, low cost and high effective adsorbent possesses great potential in environmental pollution cleanup.