Publication

Magnetic particles, generally nanostructured and magnetite-based, have been studied extensively to remove drinking water contaminants. Compositions beyond Fe3O4 could address long-standing issues of magnetic recoverability and materials integrity in drinking waters. Herein carbon-coated iron carbide (Fe3C@C) were studied for the first time for their stability, magnetic characteristics, magnetic separability, and arsenic adsorptive properties. Experimental results show that (i) Fe3C@C with a 9-nm thick graphitic shell is chemically stable in simulated drinking water; (ii) is ferromagnetic with small magnetic remanence and a magnetic saturation that is similar to 2 x greater than Fe3O4; (iii) can be separated from water magnetically under continuous-flow conditions with greater than 99% recovery; and (iv) has a surface area-normalized adsorption capacity for arsenic (6.75 mu g/m(2)) of the same order of magnitude as that of Fe3O4 (9.62 mu g/m(2)). Fe3C@C can be a viable alternative to Fe3O4 with further development, for the magnetic removal of arsenic and other contaminants from drinking water sources.