Evaluation of the in vitro and in vivo efficiency of in-feed bacteriophage cocktail application to control Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis infection in broiler chicks.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Bacteriophage (BP) cocktail was partially resistant to different temperatures and pH values.The BP cocktail showed lytic effects on different Salmonella isolates.The BP cocktail reduced Salmonella colonization in the internal organs of broilers.

Zeolite 13X incorporated with Zn-Ce oxide nanocatalyst for removal of Reactive Red 120 dye: RSM-based approach.

In this study, the photocatalytic removal of Reactive Red 120 (RR120) dye was examined using zeolite 13X incorporated with Zn-Ce under UV irradiation. The synthesis of Zn-Ce nanoparticles incorporated with zeolite 13X was conducted through the co-precipitation method, and the features of the prepared nanocatalyst were analyzed using various techniques. The SEM and BET analyses indicated successful incorporation of ZnO-Ce oxides on the surface of zeolite 13X and a specific surface area of 359.39 m2/gm, respectively. Further, the average size of crystal grains was 28 nm. The response surface methodology (RSM) approach was employed to optimize operating parameters. The quadratic model suggested by the RSM approach, characterized by a high regression coefficient (R2 = 0.9632), indicates a high level of reliability. Moreover, under optimal conditions (catalyst loading of 4 mg, pH of 3, H2O2 amount of 0.2 mL, UV power of 25 W, and reaction time of 60 min), the highest RR120 dye removal percentage was 99.97%. Kinetic data indicated an increase in the reaction rate constant from 0.0631 to 0.1796 min-1. The zeolite 13X incorporated with Zn-Ce photocatalyst exhibited excellent stability over 5 cycles, with only a 5.50% decrease in RR120 dye removal yield. This study demonstrates the promising potential of zeolite 13X incorporated with Zn-Ce nanoparticles for the removal of RR120 dye from aqueous suspension.

Robust Transceiver Design for IRS-Assisted Cascaded MIMO Communication Systems.

Intelligent reconfigurable surfaces (IRSs) have gained much attention due to their passive behavior that can be a successor to relays in many applications. However, traditional relay systems might still be a perfect choice when reliability and throughput are the main concerns in a communication system. In this work, we use an IRS along with a decode-and-forward relay to provide a possible solution to address one of the main challenges of future wireless networks which is providing reliability. We investigate a robust transceiver design against the residual self-interference (RSI), which maximizes the throughput rate under self-interference channel uncertainty-bound constraints. The yielded problem turns out to be a non-convex optimization problem, where the non-convex objective is optimized over the cone of semidefinite matrices. We propose a novel mathematical method to find a lower bound on the performance of the IRS that can be used as a benchmark. Eventually, we show an important result in which, for the worst-case scenario, IRS can be helpful only if the number of IRS elements are at least as large as the size of the interference channel. Moreover, a novel method based on majorization theory and singular value decomposition (SVD) is proposed to find the best response of the transmitters and relay against worst-case RSI. Furthermore, we propose a multi-level water-filling algorithm to obtain a locally optimal solution iteratively. We show that our algorithm performs better that the state of the art in terms of time complexity as well as robustness. For instance, our numerical results show that the acheivable rate can be increased twofold and almost sixfold, respectively, for the case of small and large antenna array at transceivers.

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of zeolite/activated carbon@MnO2 composite as a novel adsorbent for treatment of wastewater containing methylene blue and brilliant blue.

In this study, zeolite/activated carbon@MnO2 composite was used as a novel adsorbent to eliminate methylene blue (MB) and brilliant blue (BB) dyes from aqueous media. To this end, activated carbon (AC) was produced by Ziziphus Spina-Christi leaves and then used to synthesize zeolite/AC@MnO2 composite. Various analyses such as BET, SEM, EDX, Map, FTIR, and XRD were performed to determine the surface features of the above composite. BET analysis indicated that the aforementioned composite has a mesoporous structure. Also, the best conditions for the adsorption of MB and BB dyes were obtained at pH of 9 and 2, temperature of 25 °C, adsorbent dosage of 1 and 2 g/L, initial dye concentration of 10 mg/L, and contact time of 40 and 60 min, respectively. Under optimal conditions, the utmost removal efficiency of MB and BB dyes using the zeolite/AC@MnO2 composite was 98.43% and 96.54%, respectively, indicating significant adsorption efficiencies. Moreover, the utmost adsorption capacity of MB and BB dyes was 67.56 and 66.22 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, intraparticle and film diffusion mechanisms were very important in the adsorption process. Besides, thermodynamic and equilibrium studies indicated that the adsorption process is exothermic, physical, and spontaneous. Generally, the aforementioned composite has a significant adsorption capacity and can be a suitable adsorbent to eliminate cationic dyes from industrial effluents.

The Autonomy of Science as a Civilian Casualty of Economic Warfare: Inadvertent Censorship of Science Resulting from Unilateral Economic Sanctions.

Unilateral coercive international political, diplomatic, and economic sanctions are regular events of international relations and international law within the landscape of foreign affairs. However, while they may be prescribed by international law, or national legal systems, for peace and security reasons they have also been imposed for political grounds by powerful States such as the United States. The US sanctions are now targeting science, academic and university domains. When applied in this way, these sanctions violate international law, principles of human rights, ethics, the autonomy of scientific institutions, and the norm of universalism in science. All of which protect and promote scientific freedom of expression. It is vital that international and domestic law be correctly applied to uphold proper ethical standards and scientific independence in order to protect the work and the freedom of scholarship. In this way, law is the solution, rather than the problem.

Synthesis of wheat bran sawdust/Fe3O4 composite for the removal of methylene blue and methyl violet.

Magnetically modified nanomaterials have recently gained a great attention in wastewater treatment. In this study, the uptake process of methylene blue (MB) and methyl violet (MV) from aqueous media using wheat bran sawdust/Fe3O4 composite was studied. To specify the surface and structural properties of the wheat bran sawdust/Fe3O4 composite, various analyses such as FTIR, XRD, EDX, Map, TGA/DTG, SEM, VSM, and BET were performed. The results of BET analysis indicated that the specific surface area of the aforementioned composite was 74.25 m2/g, and the average pore size was 65.7A, which indicates that the composite has a mesoporous structure. Also, VSM analysis indicated that the composite has a paramagnetic property with a magnetic saturation of 28.29 emu/g and can be easily eliminated from the aqueous solution by a magnet. Moreover, the highest removal efficiency of MB and MV dyes using the wheat bran/Fe3O4 composite was obtained as 97.46 and 98.75%, respectively, which were significant values. These removal efficiencies were obtained at contact time of 50 min and pH values of 9 and 8 for MB and MV, respectively. Furthermore, the outcomes of equilibrium study showed that the Langmuir model with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.98 describes the equilibrium behavior of the uptake process better than the Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. Besides, the maximum sorption capacity of MV and MB dyes using the Langmuir model was obtained as 46.08 and 51.28 mg/g, respectively. Also, the uptake process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the thermodynamic study indicated that the uptake process is exothermic and spontaneous.

Clinico-histopathological and molecular detection of small ruminants' papillomaviruses in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Papilloma DNA viruses are one of the viruses that cause skin lesions in ruminants. OBJECTIVES: The clinical, histopathological and molecular characteristics of cutaneous papilloma in ruminants in Iran are to be investigated in this study. METHODS: Samples were collected from 19 small ruminants (5 sheep and 14 goats) with various papillomatosis lesions. The samples taken were studied with histopathological and molecular techniques. RESULTS: In clinical terms, the lesions appeared in different sizes, ranging from 0.5 to 11 cm, and the cauliflower exophytic masses appeared in other parts of the animal's body. In the limbs, most papilloma lesions have been seen (42.1%). In histopathological examination, perinuclear vacuolation epidermal granule layer with various degrees of hypergranulosis, hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, orthokeratosis and parakeratosis were seen. Moreover, all the suspected samples were positive for papillomavirus using the polymerase chain reaction technique. CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of papillomaviruses in Iranian sheep and goats is low, it seems necessary to distinguish them from other viral skin diseases, such as cutaneous contagious ecthyma, using molecular techniques and histopathology.

Comparison of entropion outcome with and without intervention in Romane and Ile de France sheep breeds.

BACKGROUND: Congenital entropion is the most frequent ocular disorder in newborn lambs of certain sheep breeds, which, if not treated, can result in complete blindness and death due to starvation. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to compare the spontaneous healing of entropion in two breeds and assess the outcome of cases with and without therapeutic intervention. METHODS: A total of 158 entropion cases (119 Ile de France and 39 Romane) were investigated, and swab samples were collected from the cornea and conjunctiva of 73 of the affected lambs for bacteriological investigation. In addition, an ocular intervention was carried out in 123 affected animals. RESULTS: The Romane breed developed entropion at an average age of 7 days compared to the Ile de France, which developed it at an average age of 1 day. Likewise, significant differences were found between bilateral and unilateral involvement in both breeds. Meanwhile, 22.1% of cases recovered spontaneously, and the highest rate of spontaneous recovery without intervention was observed in the Romane breed (66%). Bacteria isolated from ocular samples included Staphylococcus spp. (42.5%), Bacillus spp. (21.9%), Trueperella pyogenes (13.7%), Corynebacterium spp. (12.3%) and Escherichia coli (9.6%). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that the onset time of entropion, bilateral involvement, the severity of the process and the need for re-treatment were higher in the Ile de France breed than in the Romane breed. Likewise, the Romane breed showed a higher degree of spontaneous recovery of entropion.

Protection of animals against devastating RNA viruses using CRISPR-Cas13s.

The intrinsic nature of CRISPR-Cas in conferring immunity to bacteria and archaea has been repurposed to combat pathogenic agents in mammalian and plant cells. In this regard, CRISPR-Cas13 systems have proved their remarkable potential for single-strand RNA viruses targeting. Here, different types of Cas13 orthologs were applied to knockdown foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), a highly contagious disease of a wide variety of species with genetically diverse strains and is widely geographically distributed. Using programmable CRISPR RNAs capable of targeting conserved regions of the viral genome, all Cas13s from CRISPR system type VI (subtype A/B/D) could comprehensively target and repress different serotypes of FMDV virus. This approach has the potential to destroy all strains of a virus as targets the ultra-conserved regions of genome. We experimentally compared the silencing efficiency of CRISPR and RNAi by designing the most effective short hairpin RNAs according to our developed scoring system and observed comparable results. This study showed successful usage of various Cas13 enzymes for suppression of FMDV, which provides a flexible strategy to battle with other animal infectious RNA viruses, an underdeveloped field in the biotechnology scope.

Shelf life extension of minced squab using poly-lactic acid films containing Cinnamomum verum essential oil.

The effects of poly-lactic acid films containing different concentrations of Cinnamomum verum essential oil (CVEO) on microbial, chemical and sensory criteria of minced squab were assessed during the storage at 4 °C for 12 days. The counts of total aerobic bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, pseudomonads and Enterobacteriacea of wrapped samples with PLA films containing 0.6 and 0.9 % CVEO never reached 7 log CFU/g during the storage. Counts of E. coli and L. monocytogenes spiked to the PLA-wrapped with 0.6 or 0.9 CVEO squab samples were an order and 2 orders of magnitude lower, respectively, after the storage comparing to control. Also, samples wrapped with PLA films containing different concentrations of CVEO had lower total volatile base nitrogen, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values vs. control. Finally, applying of PLA films containing different concentration of CVEO, led to minor changes in sensory characteristics (P > 0.05).

Alginate@Fe3O4@Bentonite nanocomposite for formaldehyde removal from synthetic and real effluent: optimization by central composite design.

In this study, Alginate@ Fe3O4/Bentonite nanocomposite was utilized to eliminate formaldehyde from wastewater. Structural features of bentonite, bentonite@Fe3O4, and Alginate@Fe3O4@Bentonite were determined using FT-IR, PXRD, Mapping, EDX, TEM, SEM, VSM, and BET analyses. The central composite design method was employed to find the optimal conditions for formaldehyde removal using Alg@Fe3O4@Bent nanocomposite. The maximum formaldehyde uptake efficiency (94.56%) was obtained at formaldehyde concentration of 10.69 ppm, the nanocomposite dose of 1.28 g/L, and pH of 9.96 after 16.53 min. Also, Alginate@Fe3O4@Bentonite composite was used to eliminate formaldehyde from Razi petrochemical wastewater and was able to eliminate 91.24% of formaldehyde, 70% of COD, and 68.9% of BOD5. The isotherm and kinetic investigations demonstrated that the formaldehyde uptake process by the foresaid adsorbent follows the Langmuir isotherm and quasi-first-order kinetic models, respectively. Also, the maximum uptake capacity was obtained at 50.25 mg/g. Moreover, the formaldehyde uptake process by the aforementioned nanocomposite was exothermic and spontaneous. Furthermore, the formaldehyde adsorption efficiency decreased slightly after six reuse cycles (less than 10%), indicating that Alginate@Fe3O4@Bentonite nanocomposite has remarkable recyclability. Besides, the influence of interfering ions like nitrate, carbonate, chloride, phosphate, and sulfate was studied on the formaldehyde removal efficiency and the results displayed that all ions except nitrate ion have low interaction with formaldehyde (less than 3% reduction in removal efficiency).

Causes of abortion in Iranian sheep flocks and associated risk factors.

Abortion is a major issue in sheep husbandry. It can result in significant economic losses and a severe public health risk. This survey assessed the infectious and non-infectious causes of abortion in Iranian sheep flocks and determined the main risk factors. In this cross-sectional survey, causes of abortion were evaluated in 757 sheep flocks, and risk factors were analysed. A checklist containing general animal information for each abortion outbreak evaluated was filled in. Data were analysed using univariate tests and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. In this sense, parity, gestational age of the aborted fetus, vaccination protocol, mineral supplementation and history of stillbirth showed significant associations with abortion. Infectious agents such as Coxiella burnetti (22.7%), Chlamydia abortus (12.3%) and Brucella melitensis (10.4%) were the most frequently isolated in the investigated flocks, with more than 2% of abortion rates. On the other hand, non-infectious agents such as trauma, pregnancy toxaemia and vitamin E/Se deficiency were involved in those flocks with low abortion rates (less than 10%). Results revealed multiple causes of abortion outbreaks among Iranian sheep flocks, which need careful investigation to identify possible aetiology and risk factors. Further studies are necessary to evaluate if these factors are similar to other countries in the same region.

Anticonvulsant and depressant effects of aqueous extracts of Carum copticum seeds in male rats.

In this study, the effects of aqueous extracts of Carum copticum seeds (CCS) were evaluated in kindling models of epilepsy. Additionally, the sedative and anxiolytic effects of the extract were assessed. For pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindling, rats received a subconvulsant dose of PTZ (40 mg/kg, ip) every second day and seizure stages were recorded. CCS aqueous extract (200, 400, or 600 mg/kg, ip) was injected 30 minutes prior to each PTZ injection. In electrical kindling, bipolar stimulating and monopolar recording electrodes were implanted stereotaxically in the right basolateral amygdala of male Sprague-Dawley rats. After kindling, the effect of aqueous extracts of CCS (200, 400, or 600 mg/kg, ip) on afterdischarge duration, duration of rearing, forelimb clonus, and loss of equilibrium (stage 5 seizure), and latency to the onset of bilateral forelimb clonus were measured. The sedative and the anxiolytic effects of CCS extracts were evaluated in an open-field apparatus and elevated plus maze, respectively. The results indicate that aqueous extracts of CCS have a significant anticonvulsant effect. Different doses of extract significantly delayed the incidence of every seizure stage in the PTZ model of kindling. Moreover, CCS extract (400 and 600 mg/kg, ip) suppressed afterdischarge duration, latency to the onset of bilateral forelimb clonus, and stage 5 seizure in the electrical kindling model. These results suggest that CCS extract has remarkable antiepileptic and central depressant effects.

A review study on new aspects of biodemulsifiers: Production, features and their application in wastewater treatment.

The effluent produced in refineries is in the form of an oil/water emulsion that must be treated. These emulsions are often stable and a suitable method must be used to separate the oil from the emulsion. Recently, biosurfactants or biodemulsifiers have received much attention to reduce the interfacial tension between two liquids. Biodemulsifiers are produced by microorganisms and have several benefits over chemical demulsifiers such as low-toxic, biodegradability, eco-friendly and easy synthesis. They can eliminate two phases by changing the interfacial forces between the water and oil molecules. Biosurfactants are categorized based on the molecular weight of their compounds (low or high molecular weight). Sophorolipids, lipopeptides rhamnolipids, trehalolipids, glycolipid, lipoproteins, lichenysin, surfactin, and polymeric biosurfactants are several types of biosurfactants, which are produced by bacteria or fungi. This review study provides a deep evaluation of biosurfactants in the demulsification process. To this end, different types of biosurfactants, the synthesis method of various biosurfactants using various microorganisms, features of biosurfactants, and the role of biodemulsifiers in the demulsification process are thoroughly discussed. Also, the impact of various efficient factors like pH, microorganism type, temperature, the oil content in the emulsion, and gravity on biodemulsificaion was studied. Finally, the mechanism of the demulsification process was discussed. According to previous studies, rhamnolipid biodemulsifier showed the highest biodemulsification efficiency (100%) in the removal of oil from an emulsion.

Selective Removal of Sodium Ions from Aqueous Media Using Effective Adsorbents: Optimization by RSM and Genetic Algorithm.

This study aimed to determine the best adsorbent among Moringa oleifera-derived activated carbon (AC), eggshell-derived CaO nanoparticles and CaO/Fe3O4 for sodium (Na+) removal from aqueous media. In the first step, the appropriate adsorbent for sodium adsorption was determined among the three adsorbents, which the results showed that the AC had the highest sorption efficiency. Then, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the impact of different factors on the Na+ ion sorption efficiency using the AC. The highest removal efficiency was obtained to be 95.91% at optimum conditions such as pH of 11, contact time of 45 min, temperature of 25 °C, sodium ion concentration of 900 mg/L, and adsorbent dosage of 5 g/L. Also, the best conditions using the genetic algorithm was obtained at contact time of 94.97 min, adsorbent dosage of 3.52 g/L, Na+ ion concentration of 939.92 mg/L and pH value of 10.92. Moreover, the maximum sorption capacity using the Langmuir model was obtained to be 249.67 mg/g, which was a significant value. Besides, the equilibrium and kinetic studies indicated that the experimental data of sodium adsorption process were fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, respectively. Furthermore, the thermodynamic study indicated that the sorption process was endothermic. Generally, among the three adsorbents used, activated carbon with a high removal efficiency and significant sorption capacity can be considered as a promising adsorbent for the removal of sodium from wastewater on an industrial scale.

Methylene Blue Dye Removal from Aqueous Media Using Activated Carbon Prepared by Lotus Leaves: Kinetic, Equilibrium and Thermodynamic Study.

In the present work, methylene blue was eliminated from aqueous solution using activated carbon prepared by lotus leaves. To perform the experiments, batch method was applied. Also, several analyses such as SEM, FTIR, EDAX and BET were done to determine the surface properties of the activated carbon. The results showed that the maximum sorption efficiency of 97.59% was obtained in initial dye concentration of 10 mg/L, pH of 9, adsorbent dosage of 4 g/L, temperature of 25 °C, contact time of 60 min and mixture speed of 400 rpm. Furthermore, the maximum adsorption capacity was determined 80 mg/g, which was a significant value. The experimental data was analyzed using pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and intra-particle diffusion kinetic models, which the results showed that the pseudo-second order kinetic model could better describe the kinetic behavior of the sorption process. Also, the constant rate of the pseudo-second order kinetic model was obtained in the range of 0.0218-0.0345 g/mg.min. Moreover, the adsorption equilibrium was well described using Freundlich isotherm model. Furthermore, the thermodynamic studies indicated that the sorption process of methylene blue dye using the activated carbon was spontaneous and exothermic.

Enhancement of the chromium removal behavior of Moringa oleifera activated carbon by chitosan and iron oxide nanoparticles from water.

The effect of chitosan and Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles on the chromium adsorption property of Moringa oleifera activated carbon (AC) was explored. Various techniques were applied to reveal the properties of adsorbers to absorb chromium ions. A majority of the pollutant was removed at pH2 and 50 min. The kinetic behavior of the chromium uptake process was governed by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (PSOKM). Based on the thermodynamic investigation, the chromium adsorption using all adsorbers was exothermic and spontaneous. The maximum single-layer adsorption capacity of AC, CS/AC, AC/Fe3O4, and CS/AC/Fe3O4 adsorbers was 56.78 mg/g, 114.80 mg/g, 121.70 mg/g, and 130.80 mg/g, respectively. The isotherm constants quantity highlighted that the Cr-adsorption process is optimal and physical. The acquired findings revealed that the modification of AC by chitosan and Fe3O4 nanoparticles increased the Cr adsorption. Adsorbers re-used up to 5 stages with a yield >90 %, which indicates that the composites are a promising option for Cr removal.

Detection of contagious ovine ecthyma (orf) and risk factors for infection in small ruminants in Iran.

The primary cause of contagious ecthyma is the orf virus, the parapoxvirus prototype. It is a viral problem observed in goat and sheep flocks in Iran, causing economic loss. Orf is a zoonosis with little epidemiological investigation present in Iran. The current research aims at determining the status of this virus, and a PCR was used as a confirmatory instrument. We sampled 668 goats and sheep and various breeding systems. Besides, the orf prevalence was studied, and vaccination efficacy was determined. Moreover, the potential risk factors surveyed for infection with ecthyma were identified. Samples were taken from goat and sheep flocks in the present cross-sectional research, and PCR was used for testing orf DNA. A checklist including animals' general information was completed. Data were analyzed using univariate tests (chi-square and t-tests) and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. Three hundred one (45%) goats and sheep detected orf DNA. The age of 70% of positive cases was below one month. Ecthyma infection was significantly higher in imported breeds (87.3%) than indigenous (39.3%). Ninety-six percent of infected goats and sheep in the present work were not vaccinated against ecthyma. The high prevalence of the orf virus was confirmed among goat and sheep flocks in Iran. It is necessary to train ranchers regarding sanitary actions, quarantine, and application of orf vaccination plans.

Quercetin in Attenuation of Ischemic/Reperfusion Injury: A Review.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a serious pathologic event that occurs due to restriction in blood supply to an organ, followed by hypoxia. This condition leads to enhanced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-α, and stimulation of oxidative stress via enhancing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Upon reperfusion, blood supply incz reases, but it deteriorates condition and leads to the generation of ROS, cell membrane disruption and finally, cell death. Plant derived-natural compounds are well-known due to their excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Quercetin is a flavonoid exclusively found in different vegetables, herbs, and fruits. This naturally occurring compound possesses different pharmacological activities making it an appropriate option in disease therapy. Quercetin can also demonstrate therapeutic effects via affecting molecular pathways such as NF-κB, PI3K/Akt and so on. In the present review, we demonstrate that quercetin administration is beneficial in ameliorating I/R injury via reducing ROS levels, inhibition of inflammation, and affecting molecular pathways such as TLR4/NF-κB, MAPK and so on. Quercetin can improve cell membrane integrity via decreasing lipid peroxidation. Apoptotic cell death is inhibited by quercetin via downregulation of Bax, and caspases, and upregulation of Bcl-2. Quercetin is able to modulate autophagy (inhibition/induction) in decreasing I/R injury. Nanoparticles have been applied for the delivery of quercetin, enhancing its bioavailability and efficacy in the alleviation of I/R injury. Noteworthy, clinical trials have also confirmed the capability of quercetin in reducing I/R injury.

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of natural clay/Fe3O4/graphene oxide for enhance removal of Cr (VI) from aqueous media.

In this study, Fe3O4/graphene oxide (GO)/clay composite was used to remove chromium (VI) ion from aqueous media. The structure and characteristics of the Fe3O4/GO/clay composite were investigated using FT-IR, SEM, EDX/Map, VSM, BET, and XRD analyses. The BET analysis indicated that the specific surface area and mean pore size of the Fe3O4/GO/clay composite were calculated as 61.64 m2/g and 16.2 nm respectively, which indicate that the composite has a mesoporous structure. Also, the VSM analysis showed that the Fe3O4/GO/clay composite has a superparamagnetic property. Moreover, the highest removal efficiency of Cr (VI) from aqueous media was obtained to be 98.84%, which achieved at pH 3, Cr (VI) ion concentration of 10 mg/L, the composite dosage of 1 g/L, contact time of 60 min, and temperature of 25 °C. Furthermore, the kinetic and equilibrium studies showed that the quasi second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir model could better describe the sorption behavior of the clay and the Fe3O4/clay composite, while the behavior of the Fe3O4/GO/clay composite can be better explained by the Freundlich model. Besides, the maximum sorption capacities of the clay, Fe3O4/clay, and Fe3O4/GO/clay composite were obtained to be 49.61, 62.26, and 71.47 mg/g, respectively, which shows that the maximum sorption capacity of the clay increases with improving the surface properties of the clay. Also, the thermodynamic study indicated that the Cr (VI) sorption process was exothermic and spontaneous in nature. In general, the results indicated that the Fe3O4/GO/clay composite was more effective than the clay and the Fe3O4/clay in Cr (VI) ion removal.