Title : Mesoporous functionalized hybrid organic-inorganic materials for adsorption of nitrates
Abstract:
The presented report addresses the critical environmental issue of elevated nitrate levels in water bodies, primarily due to excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers and improper waste disposal. It leads to detrimental effects like eutrophication and health hazards. Focusing on the necessity to reduce nitrate concentrations in contaminated water to permissible levels, the effectiveness of hybrid organic-inorganic materials in nitrate adsorption was explored in this work. Mesoporous amino-functionalized silica materials were synthesized by grafting and sol-gel techniques. The surface amino groups of the materials were converted to amine hydrochlorides for easy ion exchange on nitrate cations. The chemical compositions and structural characteristics of obtained adsorbents with high BET surface area were examined by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, porosimetry and particle size analysis. Batch adsorption tests proved high nitrate adsorption capacities of these materials. Sol-gel materials demonstrated the highest efficiency attributed to their abundant amino group contents. Among them, the surfactant-free sol-gel material was selected as the best adsorbent due to its ease of synthesis and cost-efficiency. The study of the effect of temperature on nitrate adsorption showed its high performance in the wide range of naturally occurring climatic conditions. Obtained adsorbents remained highly efficient in five adsorption/regeneration cycles. This study contributes significantly to the development of efficient methods for nitrate removal from water, presenting a promising approach for environmental remediation.
Audience Take Away Notes:
- This work provides a practical solution to a significant environmental problem of water quality
- The audience can use the results of the presented study in the development of advanced technologies of water clean-up
