Synthesis, characterization and application of glucamine-modified mesoporous silica type SBA-15 for the removal of boron from natural water

• First study on the impact of glucamine-modified SBA-15 on boron adsorption
• A pH greater than 7 can be used for boron adsorption.
• Polyol grafts enhance boron removal.

The present survey highlights for the first time that glucamine-modified ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) type SBA-15 can be used as adsorbents for the uptake of boron from water. By means of X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption, thermogravimetry and Fourier transform infrared, the structure and physicochemical properties of the materials were characterized. The behavior of the calcined and glucamine modified SBA-15 in adsorption of boron from synthetic solutions and seawater was investigated. Physico-chemical parameters such as adsorbent dose, equilibrium contact time, pH and initial boron concentration were studied in a series of batch adsorption experiments. Boron adsorption on the adsorbent was saturated within 3 h in solution containing 10 mg L− 1 of boron, with 5 g L− 1 of adsorbent dose. The studies showed that boron were quantitatively removed from water at neutral pH. The glucamine modified SBA-15 possessed higher boron removal capacity, about 45%, than the unmodified SBA-15 which showed only a 23% of boron removal. Thanks to the increase of the adsorption sites due to the grafting. Desorption tests were carried out using 1 M HCl. OMS type SBA-15 was also successfully applied for the removal of boron from seawater in the presence of high concentration of foreigner ions.

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