Synthesis and characterization of chitosan-Fe0 nanoparticles and their application for the removal of Acid Red 14 dye

Chitosan-Fe0 nano particles (CTO-Fe0) were prepared using chitosan as a stabilizer. Chitosan has been widely used in the green synthesis for the nanoscale materials due to its advantageous biological properties, such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, nontoxicity [1] and antibacterial activity [2]. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) study revealed that nitrogen and oxygen atoms are the binding sites for chitosan on iron which was accountable for the stability of Fe0 nano particles. The removal of Acid Red 14 dye was investigated in aqueous solution by Chitosan-Fe0 nanoparticles. The reduction capacity for dye increased with increasing chitosan-Fe0 nano particles dosage but decreases with the increase in initial concentration of dye and pH values. Due to the introduction of chitosan or no crystalline phase existed in the Fe0 nanoparticles the XRD pattern of CTO-Fe0 nanoparticles showed a small broad peak. Diffraction peaks for chitosan were not discerned, which might be due to their amorphous nature and its small percentage. This study demonstrates that due to the fast reaction kinetics and good stability against oxidation in air, chitosan-Fe0 nanoparticles has the potential to become an effective agent for in situ environment remediation.