Graphene Modified with an Analog of Diferuloylmethane for Efficient Removal of Chromium from Industrial Waste Water

Abstract

With the advent of Industrial Revolution, Pollution of water resources has become a major concern for world community. Major pollution causing industrial effluents such as Leather Tannery effluents, Textile dyes etc. contain one of the most toxic heavy metal Chromium ions and the removal of such contaminant is considered to be a major hurdle in environmental remediation. Graphene Oxide has been known to be used in removal of heavy metals in previous works. Graphene oxide was reduced and functionalized by an eco-friendly method using Diferuloyl Methane Analog, a polyphenol resembling the natural curcumin. The product, i.e., functionalized reduced-Graphene Oxide was characterized by X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infra Red Spectroscopy to ascertain the conjugate is formed. Finally, adsorption studies of Chromium ions by Graphene Oxide and Diferuloylmethane analog Functionalized Graphene Oxide was carried out using Column Chromatography technique both qualitatively and quantitatively and the efficiency of Diferuloylmethane analog Functionalized and Reduced Graphene Oxide was established. The efficacy was analyzed by Atomic Adsorption Spectroscopy and the results were compared in various concentrations using graphical representation. We conclude that the functionalized reduced-graphene oxide effectively adsorb chromium in comparison with unfunctionalized graphene oxide.