Comparison between Ti- and Si-based mesostructures for the removal of phosphorous from aqueous solution

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of utilizing inorganic mesostructures for the removal of phosphorous in laboratory experiments. The emphasis of the experiments was on the comparison of the efficiency of phosphorous adsorption between mesostructures synthesized using two different inorganic materials. Powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) methods were used to characterize the inorganic mesostructures. The efficiencies of silica and titanium mesostructures for the removal of phosphorous from aqueous solutions were investigated on a batch scale. Equilibrium data were analyzed using the Langmuir isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacities of the mesostructured adsorbents were found to be 49.3 and 19.5 mg g-1 for the titanium and silica mesostructures, respectively. The adsorption kinetics was best described by a pseudo-third-order kinetic model. The results from this study indicated that the titanium mesostructure, because of low cost and high capability, has the potential to be utilized for the cost-effective removal of phosphorous from sewage or wastewater. (C) 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2012