Synthesis of bis(2-aminoethyl)amine functionalized mesoporous silica (SBA-15) adsorbent for selective adsorption of Pb2+ ions from wastewater

• Published in: Environmental geochemistry and health Vol. 46; no. 9; p. 357
• Main Authors: Thirupathi, Kokila, Santhamoorthy, Madhappan, Suresh, Ranganathan, Wadaan, Mohammad Ahmad, Lin, Mei-Ching, Kim, Seong-Cheol, Kumarasamy, Keerthika, Phan, Thi Tuong Vy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.09.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adsorbents; Adsorption; Amines; Aqueous solutions; Chemical properties; Chemicophysical properties; Chemisorption; Contaminants; Earth and Environmental Science; Electron microscopes; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Fourier transforms; Gels; Geochemistry; Heavy metals; Infrared analysis; Kinetics; Lead; Metal ions; Nanoparticles; Original Paper; Palladium; Particle size distribution; Pore size; Public Health; Scanning electron microscopy; Selective adsorption; Silica; Silicon dioxide; Size distribution; Soil Science & Conservation; Sol-gel processes; Terrestrial Pollution; Toxicity; Wastewater; Water discharge; X-ray diffraction; Zeta potential; Surface functionalization; Kinetic study; Mesoporous silica adsorbent; Metal adsorption; Recyclability
• ISSN: 0269-4042; 1573-2983; 1573-2983
• DOI: 10.1007/s10653-024-02137-6

Rapid growth in the industry has released large quantities of contaminants, particularly metal discharges into the environment. Heavy metal poisoning in water bodies has become a major problem due to its toxicity to living organisms. In this study, we developed a 3-chloropropyl triethoxysilane incorporated mesoporous silica nanoparticle (SBA-15) based adsorbent utilizing the sol–gel process and Pluronic 123 (P123) as a structure-directing surfactant. Furthermore, the produced SBA-15 NPs were functionalized with bis(2-aminoethyl)amine (BDA) using the surface grafting approach. The physical and chemical properties of the prepared SBA-15@BDA NPs were determined using a variety of instruments, including small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXS), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), N 2 adsorption–desorption, thermogravimetric, particle size distribution, and zeta potential analysis. The MSN has a large surface area of up to 574 m 2 /g, a pore volume of 0.57 cm 3 /g, and a well-ordered mesoporous nanostructure with an average pore size of 3.6 nm. The produced SBA-15@BDA NPs were used to adsorb selectively to lead (Pd 2+ ) ions from an aqueous solution. The adsorption study was performed under various conditions, including the influence of solution pH, adsorbent dose, adsorption kinetics, adsorption selectivity in the presence of competing metal ions, and reusability. The results of the kinetic study demonstrated that SBA-15@BDA NPs absorb selectively Pb 2+ ions via chemisorption. The SBA-15@BDA NPs show Pb 2+ ions with a maximum adsorption capacity of ~ 88% and an adsorbed quantity of approximately ~ 112 mg/g from the studied aqueous solution. The adsorption mechanism relies on coordination bonding between Pb 2+ ions and surface-functionalized amine groups on SBA-15@BDA NPs. Furthermore, the proposed SBA-15@BDA NPs adsorbent demonstrated excellent reusability over five cycles without significantly reducing adsorption performance. As a consequence, SBA-15@BDA NPs might serve as an effective adsorbent for the selective removal of Pb 2+ ions from aqueous effluent.