Influence of acidic and basic catalysis on the synthesis of silica xerogels for the adsorption of methylene blue in aqueous medium

In this study, two silica xerogels were synthesized by sol-gel method using an acidic aqueous solution and a basic aqueous solution as catalysts for each material, named as SiO2-A and SiO2-B, respectively. Dyes, such as methylene blue (MB), are common contaminants present in wastewater from textile...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Olívio, Pedro Henrique de Paulo, Buzato, Gabriel Vinicius, Souza, Adriano Lopes de
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:Brasil
Institución:Universidade Federal de Itajubá (UNIFEI)
Repositorio:Research, Society and Development
Idioma:portugués
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/22524
Acceso en línea:https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/22524
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Methylene blue
Adsorption
Silica xerogels
Sol-gel process.
Azul de metileno
Adsorción
Xerogeles de sílice
Proceso sol-gel.
Adsorção
Xerogéis de sílica
Processo sol-gel.
Descripción
Sumario:In this study, two silica xerogels were synthesized by sol-gel method using an acidic aqueous solution and a basic aqueous solution as catalysts for each material, named as SiO2-A and SiO2-B, respectively. Dyes, such as methylene blue (MB), are common contaminants present in wastewater from textile industries and the search for or improvement of processes capable of reducing these damages by retention these pollutants is extremely important. These xerogels were used as adsorbent for removing methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. Ultra-Violet visible spectroscopy was used to monitor the adsorption process. The porosity and morphology of these xerogels were studied by using N2 adsorption and desorption isotherms and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The experimental data showed that the MB adsorption is higher at pH 9,0 for both xerogels, with a high performance for the SiO2-B xerogel. These results best fitted to Langmuir isotherm model, attaining values of maximum adsorption mass of 50,6 mg g-1 and 8,24 mg g-1 of MB for the SiO2-B and SiO2-A, respectively. The SEM images show that the SiO2-A has a smooth surface, while the SiO2 B has a rough morphology with agglomerates. The porosity data show these xerogels are mesoporous. Our experiments demonstrated that the SiO2-A and SiO2-B xerogels could be used in environmental applications to removal of water pollutants such as dyes.