Issue 1, 2016

Extremely high arsenic removal capacity for mesoporous aluminium magnesium oxide composites

Abstract

Mesoporous aluminium magnesium oxide composites with varying composition (Mg content: 0–100%) and high surface area (118–425 m2 g−1) are synthesized by a facile, low-cost and scalable sol–gel method. The mesostructure and crystallinity are controlled by varying the composition and calcination temperature. The mesopores evolve from hexagonally ordered to wormhole-like in structure with increasing Mg/Al ratio. The mesoporous aluminium magnesium oxide composites are highly efficient adsorbents for removing As(V) and As(III) from water. The mesoporous magnesium oxide shows unprecedentedly high adsorption capacities of 912 mg g−1 for As(V) at pH 3 and 813 mg g−1 for As(III) at pH 7 with a dose of 0.5 g L−1; significantly higher than those of reported adsorbents. Exceptional adsorption capacities for arsenic are retained over a wide pH range, and high selectivity for As(V) is realized even in the presence of co-existing anions. The arsenic adsorption performance correlates to the properties of the composites including the Mg/Al ratio, point of zero charge, crystallinity and mesostructure. The arsenic adsorption mechanism is elucidated. Due to their high surface areas, large pore volumes, tunable mesopore structures and high quantities of accessible hydroxyl groups with strong chemisorption binding affinity to arsenic, as well as extremely high adsorption capacities and selectivity, these mesoporous aluminium magnesium oxides are promising adsorbent candidates for the remediation of arsenic in water.

Graphical abstract: Extremely high arsenic removal capacity for mesoporous aluminium magnesium oxide composites

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 8月 2015
Accepted
12 10月 2015
First published
21 10月 2015

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2016,3, 94-106

Extremely high arsenic removal capacity for mesoporous aluminium magnesium oxide composites

W. Li, D. Chen, F. Xia, J. Z. Y. Tan, P. Huang, W. Song, N. M. Nursam and R. A. Caruso, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2016, 3, 94 DOI: 10.1039/C5EN00171D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements