Chromium has been considered as one of the most hazardous
heavy
metals because of its strong and persistent toxicity to the ecosystem
and human beings. In this study, fly ash-loaded nano-FeS (nFeS-F)
composites were constructed with fly ash as the carrier, and the performance
and mechanism of the composites for the removal of Cr(VI) and total
chromium from water were investigated. The composite was characterized
by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The effects
of fly ash size, molarity of FeSO
4
, and flow rate of FeSO
4
solution on the removal of Cr(VI) and total chromium were
investigated by a single factor experiment. The interaction of various
factors was studied by the Box-Behnken response surface methodology.
The optimum conditions of removal of Cr(VI)and total chromium by nFeS-F
were determined. The results show that ① the optimal preparation
conditions for nFeS-F were an FeSO
4
concentration of 0.45
mol/L, a fly ash particle size of 120–150 mesh, and a flow
rate of 0.43 mL/s.② The response surface model provides reliable
predictions for the removal efficiencies of Cr(VI) and total chromium.③
The removal efficiencies of Cr(VI) and total chromium were 92.87 and
83.53%, respectively, under the optimal preparation conditions by
the experimental test. This study provides an effective method for
the removal of Cr(VI) and total chromium.