Citric, succinic, and vanillic acid-functionalized magnetic-cored dendrimer for methylene blue adsorption

A new functional composite was synthesized in this study comprising magnetic-cored dendrimer (MCD) modified with citric acid (CA), succinic acid (SA), and vanillic acid (VA) terminal groups. The CA-MCD, SA-MCD, and VA-MCD exhibited average particle size of 8-18 nm and superparamagnetic behavior. Adsorption potential of the composite was assessed by monitoring methylene blue (MB) removal from contaminated water. The CA-MCD attained adsorption equilibrium in 30 min while SA-MCD and VA-MCD achieved equilibrium in 60 min. The Langmuir model better fitted the adsorption results than the Freundlich model, indicating a monolayer mode of MB adsorption on the composite. Maximum adsorption capacity of CA-MCD, SA-MCD, and VA-MCD was 216.30 mg/g, 184.29 mg/g, and 196.58 mg/g, respectively. The CA-MCD exhibited best adsorption performance by removing 99% MB at pH = 11. In reusability experiments, the CA-MCD, SA-MCD, and VA-MCD maintained over 90% MB adsorption for both 15 mg/L and 50 mg/L solutions in the third cycle. Overall, the organic acid-functionalized MCDs with high adsorption capacity and reusability potential showed utility for practical application for wastewater decontamination.