| Abstract |
| The present communication addresses the development of a novel low cost material from sericite clay. The adsorbent material is then successfully utilized for efficient removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Initially, sericite was annealed and activated with methyl-hydrochloric acid. The activation caused a significant increase in specific surface area of sericite, thereby provided a suitable surface structure for grafting of organosilanes. Batch reactor studies showed that increase in sorptive pH, contact time, initial concentration and dose of adsorbents significantly favored the sorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II). The equilibrium data obtained at various initial concentrations reasonably fit well with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The adsorption process was fast and the kinetic data fit better to the Pseudo-second order kinetic model. Pb(II) removal was found to be spontaneous and uptake process was endothermic in nature. Further, the intra-particle diffusion was found to be the rate-limiting step in the sorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II). Various physico-chemical parametric studies enabled to discuss the sorption mechanism of these contaminants at the solid/solution interface. Simultaneous sorption studies suggested that these two pollutants were possibly removed simultaneously by the prevailing hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups. Furthermore, desorption and reusability studies as well as the applicability of the material for wastewater treatment demonstrated that ME-sericite is a promising solid material for the efficient removal of two important water pollutants i.e., Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous waste. |
|
|
| Key Words |
| Adsorption, Heavy metal, Kinetics, Methyl-esterified sericite, Wastewater treatment |
|
|
|
|
|
PDF