Nitrogen Containing Organosilicon Bonded an Al2O3-Cellulose Acetate Hybrid Material: Preparation, Characterization and Use for Adsorption of Fe(III), Cu(II) and Zn(II) from Ethanol Solutions

Abstract

This work describes the preparation and characterization of a cellulose acetate fiber coated with Al2O3, resulting in the organic-inorganic hybrid Cella/Al2O3. Furthermore, it was modified by attaching organofunctional groups, by reaction with the precursor reagents (RO)3Si(CH2)3L (L = -NH2, NH(CH2)2NH2, NH(CH2)2NH(CH2) 2NH2 and NC3H3N), resulting in Cella/Al2O3/Si(CH2 )3NH2 (1), Cella/Al2O3/Si(CH2 )3NH(CH2)2NH2 (2), Cella/Al2O3/Si(CH 2)3NH(CH2)2 NH(CH2)2NH2 (3) and Cella/Al2O3/Si(CH2 )3NC3H3N (imidazole) (4). The amount of attached organofunctional groups were (in mmol per gram of the material): 1 = 1.90, 2 = 1.89, 3 = 1.66 and 4 = 1.35. The adsorption isotherms from ethanol solutions of FeCl3, CuCl2 and ZnCl2 by Cella/Al2O3/Si(CH2 )3L were obtained at 298 K. The results obtained in flow experiments showed a retention and recovery of ca. 100% of the metal ions by Cella/Al2O3/Si(CH2 )3L packed in a column, for a solution containing either one or mixture of the ions.