Characterization of new modified mesostructured silica nanocomposites fabricated for effective removal of aromatic acids

Abstract

Santa Barbara Amorphous-15 (SBA-15) is a mesoporous molecular sieve with a large surface area and is extensively applied in purification, separation, and catalytic procedures. In this study, an SBA-15 was prepared from a sodium silicate precursor, and pentaethylene hexamine was anchored to its surface. A composite named N-SBA-15 was characterized using several experimental techniques. FTIR and XPS measurements confirmed that amino groups were conjugated on the surface of SBA-15. XRD and TEM confirmed that N-SBA-15 comprised highly ordered, hexagonal mesopore structures, which were not destroyed by the addition of amino groups. After functionalization, the surface area, pore volume, and pore size of the composite were 188 m2/g, 0.303 cm3/g, and 5.0 nm, respectively. N-SBA-15 was applied in the adsorption of aromatic acids, namely tannic acid (TA), acid red 1 (AR-1), and acid blue 40 (AB-40). The influence of various adsorption conditions such as dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, solution pH, and solution temperature was investigated. For AB-40 dye, the N-SBA-15 composite exhibited 40 times higher adsorption capacity than pure SBA-15. The highest adsorption capacities of N-SBA-15 for TA, AB-40, and AR-1 were 869, 818, and 308 mg/g, respectively. Thermodynamic studies were conducted to evaluate the exothermic property of the adsorption process and spontaneous behavior. The adsorptive data fitted well with pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm models. Results confirmed that amino-modified SBA-15 material is a promising adsorbent for the elimination of aromatic acids form aqueous solution.