Synthesis and application of a thiol functionalized clay for borewell water purification: Microchemical characteristics and adsorption studies

Abstract

This study was conducted to ascertain the effect of heavy metals on the general quality of borewell water in a municipality near Kollam District, Kerala state, India. Red-water iron contamination in borewell water has been a major concern for many years that has not been fully resolved. This research introduces an innovative, reliable, and efficient organoclay scavenger for the adsorptive removal of Fe(III) ions from watersheds, by grafting MBO onto Na-MMT clay (MBO/Na-MMT), which was produced via one-pot oxidation reaction using H2O2 to introduce the active functional groups, like the -SOH group, onto the montmorillonite clay. This special alteration of this material improved Na-MMT’s capacity to adsorb ferric ions. To evaluate the material's characteristics, X-ray diffraction, SEM-EDS, FTIR, CHNS, TG, and Zeta potential were used. Batch adsorption tests with different solution pH, Fe(III) ion concentrations, agitation periods, adsorbent dose and temperatures were conducted in order to optimise the adsorption procedure. The MBO/Na-MMT exceeded several of the reported adsorbent materials in the literature with an impressive adsorption capacity of 83.33 mg/g and efficiency (97.9%), which was accomplished by spontaneous complexation reaction. Fe(III) spontaneously attached to MBO/Na-MMT by a complex formation reaction mechanism with PSO kinetics and the variability of the adsorption process was highlighted by Elovich kinetic model because of heterogeneity of the surface. The adsorbent material demonstrated a remarkable capability for regeneration, ensuring the material's stability and reusability.