Norepinephrine-functionalised nanoflower-like organic silica as a new adsorbent for effective Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions

Abstract

In order to remove Pb(II) ions efficiently from aqueous solutions, a new effective adsorbent of norepinephrine-functionalised nanoflower-like organic silica (NE-NFOS) was synthesised by a biomimetic method. Biomimetic functionalization with norepinephrine has the advantages of environment-friendly and easy operation. Characterization of the NE-NFOS using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the NFOS was modified successfully by norepinephrine. Furthermore, the influences of different parameters including adsorption kinetics, solution pH, adsorption isotherms, concentrations of Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+, desorption and reusability were studied. The adsorption experiments showed that the capacity of NE-NFOS to adsorb Pb(II) ions improved greatly after functionalisation and adsorption equilibrium was attained within 90 min at a pH of 6.0. The Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ concentrations had little influence on the adsorption, and after recycling for five times, the Pb(II) ion removal efficiency of the adsorbent was more than 79% of its initial value. Thus, it was demonstrated that the NE-NFOS with excellent adsorption performance could be a suitable adsorbent for Pb(II) ions removal in practical applications.

A promising and cost-effective biochar adsorbent derived from jujube pit for the removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution

“…A plenty of clear irregular wrinkles were covered on the JPB surface, while a lamellar nature and significant roughness were also observed from the images. Additionally, carbon-based functional groups contribute to the roughness on the surface of JPB 4 . Such surface morphology structures possess many advantages 27 .…”

Novel Mesoporous Organosilicas with Task Ionic Liquids: Properties and High Adsorption Performance for Pb(II)

“…The choice of functionalities relies upon the type of metal ions to be adsorbed, the pH of the solution, and the type of accompanying ions. For example, Pb(II) can be adsorbed by silica consisting of propylethylenediamine [23], 2,2 -(pentane-1,5-diylbis(oxy))dibenzaldehyde [24], norepinephrine [25], melamine-based dendrimer amines [26], and pyridylpyrazole-β-ketoenol [27] groups. An important class of ligands, with a higher affinity for hard and soft metals, is ionic liquid (IL) such as pyridinium derivatives, which are also very promising for Pb(II) removal both in liquidliquid and liquid-solid systems [28][29][30][31].…”