Abstract
Copper and cadmium ions were removed from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto a new organic-inorganic hybrid material. N-(aminothioxomethyl)-2-thiophen carboxamide (TAC) was covalently anchored on SBA-15 mesoporous silica. Various characterization techniques [X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption, thermogravimetric analysis, 29Si, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy] have proved that the organic ligand was successfully anchored and the ordering of the inorganic support was preserved during the chemical modifications. Metal cations in aqueous solution were adsorbed onto this material with multichelating atoms by a complexation mechanism. Adsorption capacity for the divalent copper and cadmium cations were 0.74 and 0.21 mmol g−1, respectively. Cu(II) was selectively eliminated from contaminated water with Cu(II) and Cd(II). TAC-functionalized silica sorbent presented a good regeneration capacity without significantly losing its adsorption capacity and could be used for the development of an in-flow wastewater purification technology.