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. 2021 Apr 30;6(18):11849-11856.
doi: 10.1021/acsomega.0c06084. eCollection 2021 May 11.

Study of Mercury [Hg(II)] Adsorption from Aqueous Solution on Functionalized Activated Carbon

Oscar D Caicedo Salcedo  1 , Diana P Vargas  2 , Liliana Giraldo  3 , Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján  4
Affiliations

Study of Mercury [Hg(II)] Adsorption from Aqueous Solution on Functionalized Activated Carbon

Oscar D Caicedo Salcedo et al. ACS Omega. .

Abstract

Mercury and its compounds are toxic substances, whose uncontrolled presence in the environment represents a danger to ecosystems and the organisms that inhabit in it. For this reason, in this work, we carried out a study of mercury [Hg(II)] adsorption from aqueous solution on functionalized activated carbon. The activated carbons were prepared by chemical activation of a mango seed with solutions of CaCl2 and H2SO4 at different concentrations, later, the carbonaceous materials were functionalized with Na2S, with the aim of increasing the sulfur content in the carbonaceous matrix and its affinity to mercury. The materials were characterized using: proximal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Boehm titrations, point zero charge (pHPZC), and infrared spectroscopy. Additionally, immersion calorimetries were performed in the mercury solution. The results of textural and chemical characterization show materials with low Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas between 2 and 33 m2·g-1 and low pore volumes. However, they had a rich surface chemistry of oxygenated groups. The enthalpies of immersion in the mercury solutions are between -31.71 and -77.31 J·g-1, showing a correlation between the magnitude of the enthalpic data and the adsorption capacity of the materials. It was evidenced that the functionalization process produces a decrease in the surface area and pore volume of the activated carbons, and an increase in the sulfur content of the carbonaceous matrix. It was evidenced that the functionalization process generated an increase in the mercury [Hg(II)] adsorption capacity between 21 and 49% compared to those of the nonfunctionalized materials, reaching a maximum adsorption capacity of 85.6 mgHg2+g-1.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mango seed parts (endocarp, tegument, and kernel).
Figure 2
Figure 2
SEM images: (a) CAC7; (b) CAS15; (c) CAC7-S; and (d) CAS15-S.
Figure 3
Figure 3
FT-IR spectra of (a) CAC7/CAC7-S and (b) CAS15/CAS15-S.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Adsorption isotherms of the Hg(II) metal ion in the aqueous phase of CAS15 and CAS15-S. The lines represent the best-fitting model (Freundlich) obtained in this study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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