Copper removal from aqueous solutions using nano-scale diboron trioxide/titanium dioxide (B2O3/TiO2) adsorbent

Diboron trioxide/titanium dioxide (B2O3/TiO2) was synthesised at the nano-size and used to remove Cu(II) from water by adsorption. The material was characterised using a number of techniques including XRD, SEM, TEM, and BET surface area. Sizes of the material were below 50 nm, which fall within the range of that of nanoparticles. The BET surface area was 222.4 ± 6.8 m2/g. B2O3/TiO2 was effective in removing copper and the maximum adsorption capacity was 82.0 mg/g. The equilibrium adsorption data were best fitted to Freundlich model and the adsorption kinetics was well explained by pseudo-second-order kinetic model, which suggests that the copper uptake is due to a chemisorption process. An intraparticle diffusion based Weber–Morris model was applied to evaluate the rate-limiting steps, and the results suggested that pore diffusion controlled the overall sorption process.

► A nano-scale diboron trioxide/titanium dioxide adsorbent was synthesised. ► The adsorbent was characterised by XRD, SEM, TEM, and BET surface area. ► The adsorbent was used for copper removal and achieved a capacity of 82 mg/g. ► The adsorption isotherm was described by Freundlich and Langmuir models. ► The kinetic study revealed that pore diffusion controlled the sorption process.