Efficiency Evaluation of Nitrate Removal from Synthetic Solutions by Dendrimer- Graphene Oxide Nano-Composite Activated with HCl

High soluability of nitrate ions in water cause the dysfunction of many existing treatment methods in the removal of this very dangerous ion from aqueous media. On the other hand, due to the need for in situ treatment methods, in particular for groundwater, the replacement of old inefficient methods with new compounds is required. In this study, for the first time, the efficiency of activated dendrimer- graphene oxide for nitrate removal from an aquatic solution was investigated. Experiments were performed in a batch reactor and the main factors of pH, reaction time, and concentration of PAMAM-GO were investigated. The highest removal efficiency was obtained as 90% at 0.025mg/L activated dendrimer- graphene oxide, pH of 7.5 and 15 min reaction time. The results showed that nitrate removal by activated dendrimer-graphene oxide is correlated with nanocomposite concentration, contact time, pH and initial concentration of nitrate. It seems that ion exchange between nitrate and chloride is the main mechanism of nitrate removal by activated dendrimer-graphene oxide according to functionalization of activated dendrimer-graphene oxide using hydrochloric acid. This method can be used as a suitable method for in situ removal of nitrate from water and wastewater due to the desirable ability of the nanocomposite and its optimal compatibility with the environment.