Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Adsorbent Based on Mesoporous Fibrous Silica (KCC-1) for Removal of Heavy Metal from Aqueous Solution via Adsorption Approach

• Main Authors: Fatemeh Zarei, Azam Marjani, Ali Hassani Joshaghani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Water and Wastewater Consulting Engineers Research Development 2020-11-01
• Series: آب و فاضلاب
• Subjects: fibrous silica kcc-1; surface modification; adsorption of toxic metals; langmuir isotherm
• Online Access: http://www.wwjournal.ir/article_113650_72db483578544ac7fb4922b85ff15c3b.pdf
• ISSN: 1024-5936; 2383-0905

Heavy metal pollution in water sources is a great environmental issue worldwide. In this line, Cd(II) is considered to be one of the top toxic heavy metals because it is a threat not only to plants, but also to humans. Accordingly, development of new strategies for removal of Cd(II) is of great importance for scientists. This study could be divided into three overall sections: 1) synthesis and characterization of fibrous mesoporous silica KCC-1, 2) surface modification and characterization of triamine-functionalized KCC-1 (TA-KCC-1), 3) investigation of the applicability of TA-KCC-1 as an adsorbent for the removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution via adsorption method. Synthesized materials were analyzed and investigated by FTIR, FESEM, and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. In order to investigate adsorption features and determine the better adsorption capacity for TA-KCC-1, adsorption conditions such as pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of pollutants, and contact time were monitored and optimized. Then, to investigate and predict the adsorption properties and adsorption mechanism of Cd(II) by synthesized TA-KCC-1, various nonlinear kinetic and isotherm models were used. Theoretical parameters obtained from experimental data revealed that the adoption of Cd(II) cations by TA-KCC-1 follows the Langmuir isotherm model with the maximum adsorption capacity of 378 mg g–1 under optimum conditions (pH=7.0; adsorbent dosage=5.0 mg; time=300 min; temperature=298 K). The results of this study showed that the novel adsorbent reported in this study possesses the high potential for adsorptive removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution. Also, biodegradability, designability, and high adsorption capacity of this adsorbent may be promising for similar research in the field of adsorption pollutants in the future.