Date of Award

Spring 5-8-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Material Science Engineering (MSMatSE)

Department

Materials Science

Committee Chair

Jerome Downey

First Advisor

Larry Twidwell

Second Advisor

Robin Bullock

Third Advisor

Teagan Leitzke

Abstract

Adsorptive processes can be used for metal contaminant removal. This work addresses magnetite, a magnetic iron oxide, as the adsorbent for use in an adsorptive removal system, known as the continuous flow material recovery system (CFMR), developed by Leitzke et al. [1]. Though the system is effective in removing contaminants from aqueous solution, efforts to further improve efficiency are being made. One way to improve the efficiency of the CFMR is to analyze the magnetite particles being used and investigate how the particle properties effect adsorption. The author’s research is presented and discussed here to describe the effects magnetite particle morphology has on its adsorption capabilities. Magnetite was synthesized via co-precipitation and thermal oxidation and compared to magnetite obtained from Montana Technological University’s chemical storage. The physical properties of the magnetite samples were altered using a high energy ball mill to explore the effect of grinding time and batch size on particle size and morphology. The resultant particles were characterized using XRD to confirm chemical composition, SEM with ImageJ to characterize size and morphology, and BET surface area measurements to further characterize particle size. Loading capacity experiments were conducted using a mechanical agitation procedure for 1 hour and were measured using TNT 860 copper vials for a Hach DR3900 spectrophotometer. Collected data revealed that loading capacity is affected by both particle size and morphology. Loading capacity of magnetite increased as particle size decreased until particles were 3 μm and less in diameter when particle agglomeration increased and loading capacity decreased. The magnetite obtained from chemical storage had the roughest surface texture and the highest loading capacities in the range of 0.78 – 0.83 mmol Cu/g Fe3O4, while the thermally oxidized iron, both with rotation of the kiln during synthesis and without rotation, had the smoothest surface texture and the lowest loading capacities in the ranges of 0.58 – 0.64 mmol Cu/g Fe3O4 and 0.58 – 0.73 mmol Cu/g Fe3O4, respectively.

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