The Study of Cu(II) Adsorption onto Synthetically Modified Geopolymers

Abstract

The study of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions using the adsorption process on synthetically modified geopolymers was performed under static conditions. Three geopolymers (based on metaphase of Serbian clay, metaphase of German clay and metaphase of German clay plus 10% of carbon cloth) were used. The geopolymers were made by condensing a mixture of metaphases and alkali activator solution at a fixed ratio at room temperature and then at a temperature of 60 °C in a dry oven. Then, the geopolymer samples were pre-crashed to a fixed-radius size. Their properties were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT) analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). Adsorption experiments were carried out under batch process as a function of the dose, concentration of metal, and contact time. The uptake of Cu(II) was rapid, and it increased with increasing metal concentration. The sorption percentage decreased with increasing concentration of Cu(II). The equilibrium adsorption capacity of geopolymers was measured and extrapolated using more isotherms. The data fit very well the linear Langmuir isotherm model. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model can well describe the adsorption behavior of Cu(II) ions with geopolymers samples. These results show that used geopolymers hold great potential to remove Cu(II) from industrial wastewater.

Novel glass-based membranes for Cu adsorption: From alkali activation to sintering

“…At the end of the experiment, the adsorption efficiency reached 62 ± 3%. It is worth mentioning that other publications in which equivalent copper adsorption efficiencies have been obtained (60–80%), under similar experimental conditions, refer to activation of the starting material by more concentrated alkaline solutions (Na 2 SiO 3 5M − NaOH 10 M) Šuránek, 2023, Baykara, 2022 [ [30] , [31] , [32] ]. In addition, the curing time used in the synthesis of the porous materials was at least 20 °C higher than the temperature used in this work (40 °C).…”