Removal of Cu(II) Ions from aqueous solution by KH-570 modified Attapulgite Clay

Attapulgite clay (ATP) was modified by Silane coupling agent (KH-570) to creat more efficient sites for Cu(II) adsorption. The natural and KH-570 modified attapulgite clay were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) and SEM. The effects of various experimental parameters such as the amount of modifier, the quality of KH-570 modified ATP, adsorption time, adsorption temperature on Cu(II) adsorption onto KH-570modified ATP were studied in detail. The results showed that the 30% of modifier (The quality of the modifier mass fraction attapulgite) had the best adsorption capacity. When the dosage of modified attaplgite clay was 0.5g and the absorption time was 240min under 20 degrees C, the adsorption rate of Cu(II) in wastewater approached 97%. Meanwhile, the type of absorption was Langmuir isotherm. Desorption experiments showed that the adsorption mechanism of KH-570 modified ATP to Cu(II) was the chemical adsorption.