Synthesis, characterization and adsorption properties of magnetic γ-Fe₂O₃/C nanocomposite

γ-Fe₂O₃/C nanocomposite was prepared through a convenient method by which one-pot synthesized Fe₃O₄/Starch was oxidized and carbonized by calcining at 250 °C. The γ-Fe₂O₃/C displayed strong magnetism and could adsorb organic molecules from aqueous solution effectively, thus it showed promising application in the dislodgement of organic pollutants in sewage. Adsorption isotherms and kinetics of methylene blue (MB) onto γ-Fe₂O₃/C were studied in a batch system. The adsorption process reached equilibrium in about 15 min, and the maximum adsorption capacity of MB was found to be 64.9 mg g^-1 at 303 K. Adsorption isotherms were well fitted to Langmuir model and the adsorption kinetics could be described by the pseudo-second order kinetic equation.