Facile synthesis of amino-functional large-size mesoporous silica sphere and its application for Pb2+ removal

Amino-functional large-size mesoporous silica spheres (LMS-AP) were successfully synthesized through a one-step method with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) addition during the pseudomorphic transformation process. LMS-AP were characterized using thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis, Nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The study found that -NH2 was grafted into LMS, and the LMS-AP had a better thermal stability than other samples. The Pb2+ removal properties of LMS-AP were investigated using the static and dynamic experiments in simulated and real wastewater solutions. The kinetic and equilibrium experiments indicated that the adsorption process of LMS-AP fitted the Langmuir adsorption model and the pseudo-second-order kinetics model (R2 > 0.98), respectively. The maximum Qe (mg/g) was about 100 mg/g in the static adsorption condition. The adsorption mechanism of removal of Pb2+ was also investigated. In fix bed column experiments, LMS-AP exhibited excellent Pb2+ adsorption ability for simulated wastewater, with the maximum qe (mg/g) of 48.7 mg/g for particle size under 1–3 mm. Meanwhile in actual industrial wastewater treatment process, LMS-AP had a better Pb2+, Zn2+ and Cr (VI) removal efficiency of 80% and As (V) of 30–40% removal efficiency at initial pH 4, suggesting selective adsorption property for different heavy metal ions.