Abstract
Pollutants found in the wastewater streams of industrial processes such as heavy metals are a significant concern worldwide. Clays are low-cost sorbents that have attracted extensive research interest due to their potential applications in removing heavy metals from wastewater. In this work, montmorillonite clay was collected from the Bengurir region; Morocco was used as an eco-friendly adsorbent for the removal of chromium (III) at various operating conditions. The used adsorbent was characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope coupled with X-ray energy dispersion spectrometer analysis. Effects of adsorbent dose, initial concentration, and pH were investigated to optimize the adsorption process. The controlling mechanism and the potential rate-limiting steps were analyzed using Lagergren’s pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models, but the experimental data were better fitted to the pseudo-second-order equation. The equilibrium isotherm data were analyzed by applying Langmuir and Freundlich’s isotherm models, and Langmuir showed good fits with the experimental data. A maximum Cr(III) adsorption capacity of 7.5 mg g−1 was found in the studied conditions.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the submitted article.
References
Abukhadra MR, Bakry BM, Adlii A et al (2019) Facile conversion of kaolinite into clay nanotubes (KNTs) of enhanced adsorption properties for toxic heavy metals (Zn2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, and Cr6+) from water. J Hazard Mater 374:296–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.04.047
Al-Jlil SA (2015) Kinetic study of adsorption of chromium and lead ions on bentonite clay using novel internal series model. Trends Appl Sci Res 10:38–53
Almeida CAP, Debacher NA, Downs AJ et al (2009) Removal of methylene blue from colored effluents by adsorption on montmorillonite clay. J Colloid Interface Sci 332:46–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2008.12.012
Angar Y, Djelali N-E, Kebbouche-Gana S (2017) Investigation of ammonium adsorption on Algerian natural bentonite. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24:11078–11089. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6500-0
Angelucci DM, Stazi V, Daugulis AJ, Tomei MC (2017) Treatment of synthetic tannery wastewater in a continuous two-phase partitioning bioreactor: biodegradation of the organic fraction and chromium separation. J Clean Prod 152:321–329
Bai C, Wang L, Zhu Z (2020) Adsorption of Cr(III) and Pb(II) by graphene oxide/alginate hydrogel membrane: characterization, adsorption kinetics, isotherm and thermodynamics studies. Int J Biol Macromol 147:898–910. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.09.249
Bali M, Tlili H (2019) Removal of heavy metals from wastewater using infiltration-percolation process and adsorption on activated carbon. Int J Environ Sci Technol 16:249–258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-1663-5
Bentahar Y, Hurel C, Draoui K et al (2016) Adsorptive properties of Moroccan clays for the removal of arsenic(V) from aqueous solution. Appl Clay Sci 119:385–392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2015.11.008
Bentchikou L, Mechelouf F-Z, Neggaz F, Mellah A (2017) Removal of hexavalent chromium from water by using natural brown clay. J Turk Chem Soc Sect B Chem Eng 1:43–52
Bergmann CP, Machado FM (2015) Carbon nanomaterials as adsorbents for environmental and biological applications. Springer, Berlin
Bhattacharyya KG, Gupta SS (2008a) Influence of acid activation on adsorption of Ni(II) and Cu(II) on kaolinite and montmorillonite: Kinetic and thermodynamic study. Chem Eng J 136:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2007.03.005
Bhattacharyya KG, Gupta SS (2008b) Adsorption of a few heavy metals on natural and modified kaolinite and montmorillonite: a review. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 140:114–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cis.2007.12.008
Binh QA, Kajitvichyanukul P (2018) Adsorption mechanism of dichlorvos onto coconut fibre biochar: the significant dependence of H-bonding and the pore-filling mechanism. Water Sci Technol 79:866–876. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2018.529
Castro-Castro JD, Sanabria-González NR, Giraldo-Gómez GI (2020) Experimental data of adsorption of Cr(III) from aqueous solution using a bentonite: optimization by response surface methodology. Data Brief 28:105022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2019.105022
Chansuvarn W, Jainae K (2018) Determination of contaminated heavy metals in lacquer thinner. In: Applied Mechanics and Materials. Trans Tech Publications, pp 144–148
Chantawong V, Harvey N, Bashkin V (2003) Comparison of heavy metal adsorptions by Thai kaolin and ballclay. Water Air Soil Pollut 148:111–125
Chen Y-G, He Y, Ye W-M et al (2012) Removal of chromium(III) from aqueous solutions by adsorption on bentonite from Gaomiaozi, China. Environ Earth Sci 67:1261–1268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1569-3
Chen X, Jiang X, Yin C et al (2019) Facile fabrication of hierarchical porous ZIF-8 for enhanced adsorption of antibiotics. J Hazard Mater 367:194–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2018.12.080
Choi HY, Bae JH, Hasegawa Y et al (2020) Thiol-functionalized cellulose nanofiber membranes for the effective adsorption of heavy metal ions in water. Carbohydr Polym 234:115881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.115881
Chrysochoou M, Johnston CP (2012) Reduction of chromium (VI) in saturated zone sediments by calcium polysulfide and nanoscale zerovalent iron derived from green tea extract. In: GeoCongress 2012: state of the art and practice in geotechnical engineering. pp 3959–3967
Cobbina SJ, Duwiejuah AB, Quainoo AK (2019) Single and simultaneous adsorption of heavy metals onto groundnut shell biochar produced under fast and slow pyrolysis. Int J Environ Sci Technol 16:3081–3090. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-1910-9
Coetzee JJ, Bansal N, Chirwa EM (2018) Chromium in environment, its toxic effect from chromite-mining and ferrochrome industries, and its possible bioremediation. Expo Health 1–12
Dehmani Y, Alrashdi AA, Lgaz H et al (2020) Removal of phenol from aqueous solution by adsorption onto hematite (α-Fe2O3): Mechanism exploration from both experimental and theoretical studies. Arab J Chem 13:5474–5486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2020.03.026
Dim PE, Mustapha LS, Termtanun M, Okafor JO (2021) Adsorption of chromium (VI) and iron (III) ions onto acid-modified kaolinite: isotherm, kinetics and thermodynamics studies. Arab J Chem 14:103064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2021.103064
Du H, Yu G, Guo M, Xu H (2021) Investigation of carbon dynamics in rhizosphere by synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared combined with two dimensional correlation spectroscopy. Sci Total Environ 762:143078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143078
El Haouti R, Ouachtak H, El Guerdaoui A et al (2019) Cationic dyes adsorption by Na-montmorillonite nano clay: experimental study combined with a theoretical investigation using DFT-based descriptors and molecular dynamics simulations. J Mol Liq 290:111139
El-Bayaa AA, Badawy NA, AlKhalik EA (2009) Effect of ionic strength on the adsorption of copper and chromium ions by vermiculite pure clay mineral. J Hazard Mater 170:1204–1209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.05.100
Eloussaief M, Kallel N, Yaacoubi A, Benzina M (2011) Mineralogical identification, spectroscopic characterization, and potential environmental use of natural clay materials on chromate removal from aqueous solutions. Chem Eng J 168:1024–1031
Foroutan R, Peighambardoust SJ, Mohammadi R et al (2020) Influence of chitosan and magnetic iron nanoparticles on chromium adsorption behavior of natural clay: adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference modeling. Int J Biol Macromol 151:355–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.02.202
Gautam RK, Sharma SK, Mahiya S, Chattopadhyaya MC (2014) CHAPTER 1 Contamination of heavy metals in aquatic media: transport, toxicity and technologies for remediation. 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1039/9781782620174-00001
Ghani U, Hussain S et al (2020) Laterite clay-based geopolymer as a potential adsorbent for the heavy metals removal from aqueous solutions. J Saudi Chem Soc 24:874–884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jscs.2020.09.004
Ghosh A, Dastidar MG, Sreekrishnan TR (2018) Bioremediation of chromium complex dye by growing Aspergillus flavus. In: Water quality management, pp 81–92
Gionis V, Kacandes GH, Kastritis ID, Chryssikos GD (2006) On the structure of palygorskite by mid-and near-infrared spectroscopy. Am Miner 91:1125–1133
Guo PY, Liu Y, Wen X, Chen SF (2015) Effects of algicide on the growth of Microcystis flos-aquae and adsorption capacity to heavy metals. Int J Environ Sci Technol 12:2339–2348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-014-0633-9
Haounati R, Ouachtak H, El Haouti R et al (2021) Elaboration and properties of a new SDS/CTAB@Montmorillonite organoclay composite as a superb adsorbent for the removal of malachite green from aqueous solutions. Sep Purif Technol 255:117335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2020.117335
Hızal J, Yılmazoğlu M (2021) Montmorillonite clay composite for heavy metal removal from water. In: Inamuddin, Ahamed MI, Lichtfouse E, Asiri AM (eds) Green adsorbents to remove metals, dyes and boron from polluted water. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp 93–112
Ho YS, Mckay G (1998) Kinetic models for the sorption of dye from aqueous solution by wood. Process Saf Environ Prot 76:183–191. https://doi.org/10.1205/095758298529326
Hong H-J, Kim J, Suh YJ et al (2017) pH-sensitive mesalazine carrier for colon-targeted drug delivery: a two-fold composition of mesalazine with a clay and alginate. Macromol Res 25:1145–1152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13233-017-5150-5
Hyder AHMG, Begum SA, Egiebor NO (2015) Adsorption isotherm and kinetic studies of hexavalent chromium removal from aqueous solution onto bone char. J Environ Chem Eng 3:1329–1336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2014.12.005
Jalayeri H, Aprea P, Caputo D et al (2020) Synthesis of amino-functionalized MIL-101(Cr) MOF for hexavalent chromium adsorption from aqueous solutions. Environ Nanotechnol Monit Manag 14:100300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enmm.2020.100300
Khaldoun A, Wegdam GH, Eiser E et al (2006) Influence of heavy metals adsorption on the surface-energy properties of fluorinated montmorillonite clays “Rassoul.” Colloids Surf Physicochem Eng Asp 290:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2006.04.033
Kocaoba S (2009) Adsorption of Cd(II), Cr(III) and Mn(II) on natural sepiolite. Desalination 244:24–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2008.04.033
Kostenko L, Artiushenko O, Kovalchuk T et al (2019) Preparation and characterization of organofunctionalized bentonite clay bearing aminophosphonic groups in heavy metal uptake. J Environ Chem Eng 7:103434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2019.103434
Kovacova Z, Demcak S, Balintova M (2019) Removal of copper from water solutions by adsorption on spruce sawdust. Multidiscip Digit Publ Inst Proc 16:52
Kuppusamy S, Jayaraman N, Jagannathan M et al (2017) Electrochemical decolorization and biodegradation of tannery effluent for reduction of chemical oxygen demand and hexavalent chromium. J Water Process Eng 20:22–28
Lee C-G, Lee S, Park J-A et al (2017) Removal of copper, nickel and chromium mixtures from metal plating wastewater by adsorption with modified carbon foam. Chemosphere 166:203–211
Li L-L, Feng X-Q, Han R-P et al (2017) Cr (VI) removal via anion exchange on a silver-triazolate MOF. J Hazard Mater 321:622–628
Liang Y, Li H (2017) A comparison of trimeric surfactant intercalated montmorillonite with its gemini modified one: characterization and application in methyl orange removal. J Mol Liq 227:139–146
Ma J, Khan MA, Xia M et al (2019a) Effective adsorption of heavy metal ions by sodium lignosulfonate reformed montmorillonite. Int J Biol Macromol 138:188–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.07.075
Ma J, Lei Y, Khan MA et al (2019b) Adsorption properties, kinetics & thermodynamics of tetracycline on carboxymethyl-chitosan reformed montmorillonite. Int J Biol Macromol 124:557–567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.11.235
Masindi V, Foteinis S, Tekere M, Ramakokovhu MM (2020) Facile synthesis of halloysite-bentonite clay/magnesite nanocomposite and its application for the removal of chromium ions: adsorption and precipitation process. Mater Today Proc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.06.084
Mdlalose L, Balogun M, Setshedi K et al (2020) Performance evaluation of polypyrrole–montmorillonite clay composite as a re-usable adsorbent for Cr(VI) remediation. Polym Bull. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-020-03338-6
Minas F, Chandravanshi BS, Leta S (2017) Chemical precipitation method for chromium removal and its recovery from tannery wastewater in Ethiopia. Chem Int 3:392–405
Mnasri-Ghnimi S, Frini-Srasra N (2019) Removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions by adsorption using single and mixed pillared clays. Appl Clay Sci 179:105151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2019.105151
Otunola BO, Ololade OO (2020) A review on the application of clay minerals as heavy metal adsorbents for remediation purposes. Environ Technol Innov 18:100692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2020.100692
Pham VT, Nguyen H-TT, Tran TV, et al (2019) Kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics, and recyclability of exfoliated graphene-decorated MnFe2O4 nanocomposite towards congo red dye. J Chem 2019
Poornima K, Karthik L, Swadhini SP, et al (2010) Degradation of chromium by using a novel strains of Pseudomonas species. J Microb Biochem Technol 2
Pradhan D, Sukla LB, Sawyer M, Rahman PK (2017) Recent bioreduction of hexavalent chromium in wastewater treatment: a review. J Ind Eng Chem 55:1–20
Pylypenko IV, Spasonova LM (2020) Removal of chromium (VI) from water solutions by means of composites based on montmorillonite and iron oxide. Vopr Khimii Khimicheskoi Tekhnologii 2020:121–127. https://doi.org/10.32434/0321-4095-2020-131-4-121-127
Qiu J, Du X, Komarneni S et al (2020) Preparation of polyacrylamide–montmorillonite nanocomposite and its application in Cr(III) adsorption. J Appl Polym Sci 137:49065. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.49065
Rodríguez R, Espada JJ, Gallardo M et al (2018) Life cycle assessment and techno-economic evaluation of alternatives for the treatment of wastewater in a chrome-plating industry. J Clean Prod 172:2351–2362
Saeedi M, Daneshvar Sh, Karbassi AR (2004) Role of riverine sediment and particulate matter in adsorption of heavy metals. Int J Environ Sci Technol 1:135–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03325826
Samsuri AW, Sadegh-Zadeh F, Seh-Bardan BJ (2014) Characterization of biochars produced from oil palm and rice husks and their adsorption capacities for heavy metals. Int J Environ Sci Technol 11:967–976. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-013-0291-3
Shahid M, Shamshad S, Rafiq M et al (2017) Chromium speciation, bioavailability, uptake, toxicity and detoxification in soil-plant system: a review. Chemosphere 178:513–533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.03.074
Sharma N, Sodhi KK, Kumar M, Singh DK (2020) Heavy Metals eco-toxicity with major concern to Chromium and recent advancement in remediation technologies. Environ Nanotechnol Monit Manag. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enmm.2020.100388
Tazhibayeva S, Alzhanov A, Musabekov K, Zhalishev K (2015) Adsorption of Cr (III) ions on the surface of diatomite. Trans Tech Publishing, pp 41–45
Vardhan KH, Kumar PS, Panda RC (2019) A review on heavy metal pollution, toxicity and remedial measures: current trends and future perspectives. J Mol Liq 290:111197
Wang J, Bi L, Ji Y et al (2014) Removal of humic acid from aqueous solution by magnetically separable polyaniline: adsorption behavior and mechanism. J Colloid Interface Sci 430:140–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2014.05.046
Wang G, Zhang J, Liu L et al (2018) Novel multi-metal containing MnCr catalyst made from manganese slag and chromium wastewater for effective selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide at low temperature. J Clean Prod 183:917–924
Wang J, Zhang D, Liu S, Wang C (2020) Enhanced removal of chromium(III) for aqueous solution by EDTA modified attapulgite: adsorption performance and mechanism. Sci Total Environ 720:137391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137391
Weng C-H, Lin Y-T, Tzeng T-W (2009) Removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution by adsorption onto pineapple leaf powder. J Hazard Mater 170:417–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.04.080
Xu Y, Chen J, Chen R et al (2019) Adsorption and reduction of chromium(VI) from aqueous solution using polypyrrole/calcium rectorite composite adsorbent. Water Res 160:148–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.05.055
Zhang SQ, Hou WG (2008) Adsorption behavior of Pb(II) on montmorillonite. Colloids Surf Physicochem Eng Asp 320:92–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2008.01.038
Zhang T, Wang W, Zhao Y et al (2020) Removal of heavy metals and dyes by clay-based adsorbents: from natural clays to 1D and 2D nano-composites. Chem Eng J. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.127574
Zhu K, Chen C, Xu H et al (2017) Cr(VI) reduction and immobilization by core-double-shell structured magnetic polydopamine@zeolitic idazolate frameworks-8 microspheres. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 5:6795–6802. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b01036
Zou X-Y, Xiao F, Liu S-R et al (2020) Preparation and application of CPC/Keggin-Al30 modified montmorillonite composite for Cr (VI) removal. J Water Process Eng 37:101348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2020.101348
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia, for supporting this work by Grant Code. 19-SCI-1-01-0033.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
HE, HL, and AAA performed the experiments, analyzed the data, and wrote the initial manuscript, review and editing. AH and AL contributed to investigation, data or analysis tools. SM and ER conceived and designed the study, supervision, resources.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
Ethical approval
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Additional information
Editorial responsibility: Maryam Shabani.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Essebaai, H., Lgaz, H., Alrashdi, A.A. et al. Green and eco-friendly montmorillonite clay for the removal of Cr(III) metal ion from aqueous environment. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 19, 2443–2454 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03303-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03303-4