Solvothermal-assisted Sol–Gel method Synthesized Amorphous Mesoporous Titania for Efficient Adsorption of Sb(III) in Aqueous Solution

Amorphous mesoporous titania (AM-TiO2) was prepared through the solvothermal-assisted sol–gel method. AM-TiO2 exhibited a large specific surface area (675 m2/g) and a high adsorption capacity (252.7 ± 5.6 mg/g) for the removal of Sb(III) from aqueous solution, which was beyond the majority of previously reported Sb(III) adsorbent. The isotherms and kinetics studies indicated that the adsorption followed the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetics equation. Choosing N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent, as-synthesized AM-TiO2 exhibited a remarkably enhanced adsorption capacity of Sb(III) compared with other solvents including acetone (209.6 mg/g), methyl alcohol (195.5 mg/g), ethyl alcohol (180.5 mg/g), and water (106.7 mg/g). Furthermore, the background ionic such as CO32−, Cl−, SO42−, and NO3− had a negligible impact on the adsorption properties of AM-TiO2. The synergy among negative surface charge, large specific surface area, and abundant hydroxyl groups facilitates the adsorption of Sb(III). AM-TiO2 was further utilized to the removal of Sb(III) in real polluted textile wastewater; meanwhile, Mn and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the textile wastewater were simultaneously reduced as well.Graphical abstract