Author(s)

David Alejandro de Haro-Del Río, Alberto Florentino Aguilera-Alvarado, Irene Cano-Aguilera, Merced Martínez-Rosales, Stuart Holmes

División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Sciences, , University of Manchester, Manchester, UK..
School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

In this study the characterization of an aluminosilicate synthesized from commercial Al₂(SO₄)₃ and colloidal SiO₂ is presented, as well as its capacity for the removal of copper from aqueous solution. Characterization of the synthesized material was performed using X-ray diffraction, BET nitrogen adsorption-desorption, mass titration and the Boehm method. In order to obtain stable agglomeration and enhance its surface area (165 - 243 m²/g) and solid adsorbing capabilities, the molar ratio SiO₂:Al₂O₃ (1:3, 1:1 and 3:1) was studied, the solubility of the preparation material, synthesis-procedure time and solution pH function were also examined. The maximum capacity to remove copper ions from an aqueous solution by synthesized aluminosilicate was 16 mg/g at pH 4 and 25℃. The Langmuir model fitted better to the copper adsorption experimental data.

Mesoporous Aluminosilicates; Surface Properties; Copper Adsorption

D. Río, A. Aguilera-Alvarado, I. Cano-Aguilera, M. Martínez-Rosales and S. Holmes, "Synthesis and Characterization of Mesoporous Aluminosilicates for Copper Removal from Aqueous Medium," Materials Sciences and Applications, Vol. 3 No. 7, 2012, pp. 485-491. doi: 10.4236/msa.2012.37068.