Study of Zn&Mg Hydrotalcite-Like Nanoparticles for Adsorption and Desorption of Boron from Aqueous Media

Abstract

Background and objectives: Boron is one of the micronutrient elements needed by plants. High concentrations of this element in agricultural waters, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, cause toxicity in plants grown in these areas. various methods have been proposed to reduce the concentration of boron in water and soil that surface adsorption is one of the most important. in recent years, the use of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) or hydrotalcite (HT)-like, compounds as anionic adsorbents from aqueous solutions has been taken into special consideration. One of the most important reasons for the use of attractions is affordability. Now, if, in addition to high adsorption efficiency, they can be reused, can be used on a large scale. Therefore, in view of these points, in addition to measuring the adsorption capacity of LDH types, the desorption quality was also evaluated, because it plays a significant role in its reusability. Materials and methods: in this research, two types of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with different kinds of metal ions (Mg-Al and Mg-Fe) were prepared by co-precipitation method in nanometer dimensions, and their adsorption features were evaluated in vitro to remove boron from aqueous solution. The Hydrotalcite-like features were determined by chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The affinity of these materials for adsorption of different species of boron in solution was studied as a function of pH, contact time, LDHs quantity and B concentration (Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms). Results: Boron removal was independent of the solutions' initial and final pH because of the high buffering capacity of the LDHs. the highest amount of boron was adsorbed on Mg-Al-LDH and Zn-Al-LDH, at the first 10 and 20 minutes, respectively. It was found that 80 min is enough time for the equilibrium state to be reached in boron adsorption for two types of LDHs. Boron adsorption capacity increasing the adsorbent quantity (0.5-5 gr/lit) and application of 5 gr/lit of Mg-Al-LDH and Zn-Al-LDH absorbed 52% and 60% of the initial boron amount, respectively. The adsorption isotherms, described by the Langmuir model, are of L-Type isotherm, suggesting that B(OH)4- is adsorbed preferentially on HT-like materials. Zn-Al-LDH with the maximum adsorption capacity of 3 mg/gr had a higher adsorption capacity for boron than Mg-Al-LDH (with the highest adsorption of 2.48 mg/gr). On the other hand, the desorption of boron from Zn-Al-LDH by 200 mg sodium nitrate solution per lit, was higher than that of Mg-Al-LDH. Conclusion: After the treatment of a solution containing 2 mg of boron per liter using 0.5 gr of both adsorbents, the final boron concentration reduces to below the recommended limit by WHO for drinking water (0.5 mgL-1). Both types of LDH are highly capable of removing the boron element from contaminated solutions; but with the aim of reusing the adsorbent and, consequently, its cost-effectiveness, Zn-Al-LDH nano-adsorbent could be more proper to use than Mg-Al-LDH nano-adsorbent, due to higher adsorption and desorption.