The synergistic adsorption of pyrene and copper onto Fe(III) functionalized mesoporous silica from aqueous solution

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals are mircopollutants which are persistent compounds in the environments. Finding effective methods for simultaneous removal of PAHs and heavy metals have attracted increasing concerns due to their sole or combined pollution risks. In this study, an adsorbent (Fe-SBA15) was prepared by incorporating Fe(III) into the framework of mesoporous silica and used in the removal of pyrene and Cu(II) simultaneously from aqueous solutions. The prepared adsorbents were systematically characterized by BET, XRD and TEM. The adsorption behavior was deeply studied by kinetics, isotherms, ionic strength in sole and binary systems. The results showed that the adsorption of pyrene and Cu(II) was fast and the Langmuir model fitted the adsorption better. The increasing ionic strength enhanced the adsorption capacity of pyrene while decreased the Cu(II) adsorption onto the FeSBA15. Furthermore, it was found that there are synergistic effects on the adsorption of pyrene and Cu(II) onto Fe-SBA15. Increasing adsorptive capacity of pyrene and Cu(II) could be attributed to the formation of complex pyrene-Cu(II) through cation-pi interactions or the stronger affinity for the complex than pyrene or Cu(II) separately. This study shows new guidelines and useful methods for the synergistic removal of PAHs and heavy metals from aqueous solutions. (C) 2017. Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.