Performance of silica aerogels modified with amino functional groups in PB(II) and CD(II) removal from aqueous solutions

The adsorption behavior of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions in aqueous solutions on silica aerogels modified with amino propyl triethoxysilane was investigated as a function of pH, contact time, adsorbate concentration and adsorbent dose. It was found that maximum adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions occurs at pH 6.0 and pH 8.0, respectively. The optimum contact time to obtain equilibrium adsorption with the modified silica aerogel was experimentally found to be around 48h. Adsorption isotherms clearly indicated that the adsorption behavior of metals ions on the modified silica aerogels is fitted well with both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacities of Pb(II) and Cd(II) on modified silica aerogel were found to be 45.45mg/g and 35.71mg/g, respectively. The results indicated that silica aerogels modified with amino functional groups can be used as an efficient adsorbent in the removal of metal ions such as Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solutions.