Silica extracted from rice husk, which is represented as SRH, is inexpensive mesoporous silica useful for heavy metal removal from industrial waste effluents. SRH was synthesized through calcination at 650°C in an oxidant atmosphere obtaining a mesoporous silica with BET area of 297 m 2 g-1 and 2.3 nm of pore diameter average, respectively. The surface of this silica was modified through a post-synthesis route with amine and polyamine groups obtained at 16% and 47% of modified surface with amine or polyamine groups (SRH-NH 2 and SRH-triamine). The chromium(III) removal capacity of SRH and amine-modified silica was tested with stock solutions, observing a fast sorption process and reaching its equilibrium adsorption time in 20 min. The resulting Cr(III) removal capacity was 6.7, 22.1 and 34.3 mg g-1 for SRH, SRH-NH 2 and SRH-triamine silicas, respectively. SRH and SRH amine silicas were used to remove Cr(III) from a sample taken from a tannery waste effluent from the city of Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, and displayed a 70% and 90% removal, respectively. Our results confirm the ability of these inexpensive silicas to adsorb materials and their potential use in heavy metals removal processes from industrial waste effluents.
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