Synthesis of platy potassium magnesium titanate and its application in removal of copper ions from aqueous solution

Platy potassium magnesium titanate (K0.8Mg0.4Ti1.6O4, KMTO) was synthesized by a flux method. The potential application of KMTO in removing copper ions from water pollutants was investigated. The crystal phases of specimens were identified by XRD. The morphology and structural information were characterized by SEM and TEM. The adsorption behavior under different conditions was investigated, including different pH values and different initial copper ion concentrations. The results show that the maximum adsorption capacity of Cu(II) ions is 290.697 mg/g, and almost 99.9% of Cu(II) ions can be removed, which is much higher than that of other sorbents reported. The kinetics of KMTO for the adsorption of Cu(II) ions was studied and the best fit can be obtained by the pseudo-second-order model. Adsorption isothermal data can be well interpreted by the Freundlich equation (R2=0.991). In conclusion, this study highlights that KMTO is a potential material for the efficient removal of heavy metal ions in polluted water. It also opens up a new opportunity for the applications of platy KMTO.