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Green and eco-friendly montmorillonite clay for the removal of Cr(III) metal ion from aqueous environment

Montmorillonite clay for the removal of Cr(III) metal ion from aqueous solutions

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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.

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All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the submitted article.

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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.

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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.

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Correspondence to H. Lgaz.

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The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Editorial responsibility: Maryam Shabani.

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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

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03303-4

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