New route for removal of Cu(II) using fabricated nanocomposite based on cationic surfactant/Ag-nanoparticles/silica gel

Abstract

Generally, the treated wastewater must at least achieve the minimum safety standards for the purpose of the treatment process. The main target of this work is the combination of the features of surfactants, nanoparticles, and silica gel in one system for Cu(II) removal from the aqueous solution. To achieve this goal, the attempt would be made by the fabrication of nanocomposite based on 4-amino-N-tetradecyl pyridinium bromide (C14) coated silver nanoparticles and silica gel. The fabricated nanocomposite (C14-Ag-SG) was characterized using different techniques such as FTIR, XRD, XRF, SEM, and TEM. We examined the adsorption of Cu(II) ions onto the fabricated nanocomposite using batch adsorption. The effect of the contact time, pH of the solution, and mass of the adsorbent on the efficiency of adsorption was evaluated. The adsorption capacity of Cu(II) increased by increasing of the contact time with a neutral pH. The maximum removal of Cu(II) ions (98.57 %) was found using 0.4 g of the (C14-Ag-SG) nanocomposite. The fabricated nanocomposite showed high adsorption efficiency which clarifies the effect of the surfactant compound (C14) and silver nanoparticles in improving the adsorption efficiency. The results in this work suggest that the fabricated nanocomposite has high efficiency in the removal of Cu(II).

Keywords

• Cationic surfactant
• Silica gel
• Nanocomposites
• Wastewater
• Cu(II)