Synthesis and application of a novel mesoporous SBA-15 sorbent functionalized by 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) for simultaneous removal of Pb(II), Cr(III), Cd(II) and Co(II) from aqueous solutions: Experimental design, kinetic, thermodynamic, and isotherm aspects

Abstract

Heavy metal cations are the most common group of pollutants which significantly contribute to the pollution of aquatic systems. Among the heavy metal cations, lead, chromium, cadmium and cobalt are the most abundant cations present in wastewaters. In this work, a novel sorbent was synthesized via functionalization of chloro-mesoporous SBA-15 with 2,4- dinitrophenylhydrazine. The adsorbent was identified by various characterization techniques and then was used for adsorption of Pb(II), Cr(III), Cd(II), and Co(II). and then the response surface methodology was employed to study the influence, and interaction of different parameters. According to the results, the optimized adsorption capacity of 242.50, 214.72, 187.86, 166.46 mg/g was obtained respectively for the studied cations. furthermore, the sorption of cations was fast and the process achieve to equilibrium within 23.65, 20.31, 24.05 min for Pb(II), Cr(III), Cd(II) and within 19.88 min for Co(II). The adsorbent regenerated by a mixture of nitric acid and methanol could be recycled without losing a remarkable amount of capacity. The results analyzed with various isotherm models were best conformed to the Langmuir model.