Polyvinylpyrrolidone supported nZVI/Ni bimetallic nanoparticles for enhanced high-performance removal of aqueous Cr(VI)

The polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP-K30) stabilized iron-nickel bimetallic nanocomposites (PVP-nZVI/Ni) were successfully synthesized by the liquid-phase reduction, and they were designed for the adsorption/reduction of Cr(VI). The kinetics and isotherm experiments at different pH, initial concentrations and temperatures were conducted to analyse the removal mechanism. These results were further explained by the characterization before and after the reaction. Batch experiments showed that PVP-nZVI/Ni could maintain high removal amount of Cr(VI) at a wide pH region of 2 to 7 and equilibrium could be reached within 10 min at a maximum removal amount of 400 mg/g, indicating its potential of removing Cr(VI) from wastewater.