Quantitative removal of Zn(II) from aqueous solution and natural water using new silica-immobilized ketoenol-pyridine receptor

New design material based on ketoenol-pyridine-immobilized silica was fabricated for quantitative removal of Zinc. Analysis of surface chemistry was evaluated using BET, BJH, EA, FT-IR, 13C NMR, SEM and XRD. TGA was also used to certify the good chemical and thermal stability of the new surface. Adsorption studies have demonstrated the ability to highlight the surface designed for quantitative and selective removal of Zn(II) from aqueous solutions and real samples using ICP-AES. All experimental parameters that can affect the adsorption, such as kinetics, time of contact, pH, concentration and temperature of the system were studied. The adsorption data were fitted into Langmuir isotherm model. The thermodynamic parameters of ΔH° and ΔS° were positive while ΔG° was negative, and revealed that the process was endothermic and spontaneous in nature. The adsorption process was found to follow a pseudo-second order kinetics. The adsorption parameters showed that the material presents further improvements and has the largest capacity and highest selectivity for the effective adsorption of Zn(II) (112.5 mg of Zn(II)/g of silica) compared to others described adsorbents. The newly material was used for the extraction of metals from natural water and showed efficiency and selectivity results for Zn(II).