Adsorption characteristics of hexavalent chromium on HCB/TiO2

Abstract

Sol–gel method was adopted to prepare HCB/TiO2 and its adsorption ability of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), and removal from aqueous solution were investigated. The samples were characterized by Power X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM) which showed that the TiO2 was deposited on the surface of HCB. FTIR was used to identify the changes of the surface functional groups before and after adsorption. Potentiometric titration method was used to characterize the zero charge (pHpzc) characteristics of the surface of HCB/TiO2 which showed more acidic functional groups containing. Batch experiments showed that initial pH, absorbent dosage, contact time and initial concentration of Cr(VI) were important parameters for the Cr(VI) adsorption studies. The Freundlich isotherm model better reflected the experimental data better. Cr(VI) adsorption process followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model, which illustrated chemical adsorption. The thermodynamic parameters, such as Gibbs free energy (ΔG), changes in enthalpy change (ΔH) and changes in entropy change (ΔS) were also evaluated. Negative value of free energy occurred at temperature range of 25–45°C, so Cr(VI) adsorption by HCB/TiO2 is spontaneous. Desorption results showed that the adsorption capacity could maintain 80% after five cycles. The maximum adsorption capacity for Cr(VI) was at 27.33mgg−1 in an acidic medium, of which the value is worth comparable with other low-cost adsorbents.