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. 2022 Apr 18;7(17):14820-14831.
doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c00274. eCollection 2022 May 3.

Mercury Removal from Water Using a Novel Composite of Polyacrylate-Modified Carbon

Mohammed Al-Yaari  1 , Tawfik A Saleh  2
Affiliations

Mercury Removal from Water Using a Novel Composite of Polyacrylate-Modified Carbon

Mohammed Al-Yaari et al. ACS Omega. .

Abstract

The contamination of groundwater by mercury (Hg) is a serious global threat, and its removal is of great importance. Activated carbon (AC) is considered a very promising adsorbent to remove Hg from water systems. However, specific functional groups can be added to AC to enhance its adsorption efficiency. In this work, AC was synthesized from palm shells and grafted with a copolymer of acrylamide and methacrylic acid to produce a polyacrylate-modified carbon (PAMC) composite. The synthesized adsorbent (PAMC) was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. PAMC was then evaluated for Hg removal from aqueous solutions, and the adsorption efficiency was optimized under several parameters (pH, contact time, and PAMC dosage). Kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic investigations were performed to gain a further understanding of the adsorption properties. The adsorption data were best fitted by pseudo-second-order and Redlich-Peterson models. Also, the thermodynamic investigation confirmed the spontaneity and the endothermic nature of the Hg adsorption process over PAMC. The maximum adsorption capacity (q m) of PAMC was found to be 76.3 mg/g ,which is relatively higher than some activated carbon-based adsorbents. Therefore, PAMC offers a potential promise for wastewater treatment due to its fast and high uptake removal capacity in addition to the cheap and environmentally friendly activated carbon source.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of the synthesized (a) activated carbon and (b) PAMC.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Images of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the synthesized (a) activated carbon and (b) PAMC.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Spectrum of energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) of the synthesized (a) activated carbon and (b) PAMC.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Hg adsorption performance of (a) AC and PAMC, (b) PAMC at different pH values, and (c) PAMC at different times.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Mercury(II) removal using PAMC at 298 K: (a) experimental data, (b) Lagergren first-order kinetic model, (c) pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and (d) W-M diffusion model.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Hg(II) removal on PAMC from water solutions (Hg conc. = 200 ppm); (a) adsorption capacity plots, (b) Lagergren first-order kinetic model; (c) pseudo-second-order kinetic model; (d) W-M diffusion model.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Nonlinear isotherms of Hg adsorption using 0.1 g of PAMC at 298 K, pH = 6, and a contact time of 90 min.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Isotherm study for Hg removal by PAMC from water solutions. (a) Langmuir isotherm model; (b) Freundlich isotherm model; (c) Temkin isotherm model; (d) D–R isotherm model; (e) Redlich-Peterson isotherm model.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Temperature effect on Hg(II) removal from water solutions by PACM.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Proposed mechanism for the removal of Hg(II) by PAMC.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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