Effect of temperature on the acid–base properties of the alumina surface: Microcalorimetry and acid–base titration experiments

Sorption reactions on natural or synthetic materials that can attenuate the migration of pollutants in the geosphere could be affected by temperature variations. Nevertheless, most of the theoretical models describing sorption reactions are at 25 °C. To check these models at different temperatures, experimental data such as the enthalpies of sorption are thus required. Highly sensitive microcalorimeters can now be used to determine the heat effects accompanying the sorption of radionuclides on oxide–water interfaces, but enthalpies of sorption cannot be extracted from microcalorimetric data without a clear knowledge of the thermodynamics of protonation and deprotonation of the oxide surface. However, the values reported in the literature show large discrepancies and one must conclude that, amazingly, this fundamental problem of proton binding is not yet resolved. We have thus undertaken to measure by titration microcalorimetry the heat effects accompanying proton exchange at the alumina–water interface at 25 °C. Based on (i) the surface sites speciation provided by a surface complexation model (built from acid–base titrations at 25 °C) and (ii) results of the microcalorimetric experiments, calculations have been made to extract the enthalpic variations associated respectively to first and second deprotonation of the alumina surface. Values obtained are ΔH1=80±10 kJmol−1 and ΔH2=5±3 kJmol−1. In a second step, these enthalpy values were used to calculate the alumina surface acidity constants at 50 °C via the van't Hoff equation. Then a theoretical titration curve at 50 °C was calculated and compared to the experimental alumina surface titration curve. Good agreement between the predicted acid–base titration curve and the experimental one was observed.

Acid–base titration of 1 g/L of alumina at 50 °C: experimental results and modeling.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide