Synthesis of ZnFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles with PEG 6000 and Their Potential Application for Adsorbent

In general, about 10-15% of the dyes used in the colouring process in the textile industries are wasted into the waters. Though the dye waste is generally resistant, it is difficult to decompose, and toxic. One effort to process the waste before being discharged into the environment is the adsorption process. The process requires superior adsorbents of which main requirement is to have a large specific surface area, chemically and thermally stable, and also easily isolated from the system. One of the adsorbents that meet these requirements is zinc ferrite nanoparticles (ZnFe₂O₄), which is a magnetic nanometer-scale material that is thermally and chemically stable. Various methods of synthesis of ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles have been developed, one of which is coprecipitation. This method is a simple method but often produces polydisperse particles. The use of templates in the synthesis process is expected to overcome this problem. For this reason, the purpose of this study was to synthesize the ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles by coprecipitation using a PEG 6000 as a template. It was followed by the performance test of these materials as adsorbents for malachite green which is one of the dyestuffs often used in industry. The data analysis showed that PEG increased the crystallinity, specific surface area and monodispersity of ZnFe₂O₄. The results of VSM analysis showed that ZnFe₂O₄ without PEG had a magnetic value greater than ZnFe₂O₄ with a PEG template. In the malachite green adsorption test, the adsorption capacity of ZnFe₂O₄ with PEG was higher than the bar one that was equal to 16.7 mg/g.